(VOV) - The Vietnamese Government has paid due attention to improving the quality of vocational training to meet the demands of industrialisation and modernisation and hone Vietnam’s competitive edge. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasised this at a regional conference on vocational training, which opened in Hanoi on Wednesday. The event was co-hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. It brought together law makers, vocational training experts, and representatives of South East Asian manufacturers and businesses. Deputy Prime Minister Nhan said: “One of the solutions we should look at factors that we can adapt to education with low costs. It’s your professional vocational standards. We want to adapt this one. We don’t want to reinvent standards. We want to learn from you how to conduct dual training system in your country. On the other side, we have 3 pillar strategies. We want to raise general educational standards, but the same time, to build few excellent institutions in terms of high education and vocational training.”

Nhan said that Vietnam considers human resources as one of the three breakthroughs of its 2011-2020 national socio-economic development strategy.

The two-day conference, which aims to improve the quality of vocational training in the context of regional and international integration, is focused on cooperation between businesses, the development of qualified trainers, and financing for the sector. Reports were also presented on the potential for cooperation between Vietnam, Germany, and ASEAN nations, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s assistance for Vietnam’s vocational training network, and the opportunities and challenges facing vocational training in the ASEAN Community.