Scheme 1956: Optimistic Results

With its functions and tasks assigned, the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has actively hosted many meetings and exchanges for local businesses and vocational training units and district committees for labour, invalids and social affairs to seek common voices on vocational training and job generation for rural workers. These gatherings showed that there was agreement in recruitment demands of enterprises and manpower supply by vocational training units. Labour authorities have instructed vocational training units to open training classes when there is demand from trainees and after there is a good forecast on employment and incomes after they graduate, while directing the Employment Services Centre under the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to open job fairs and exchanges to help labourers to find jobs best suited to their professional capabilities. This is an effective cooperation between businesses, vocational training institutions and workers in the province in the past years.

 

Thus, after five years implementing Scheme 1956 (on vocational training for rural workers), Quang Binh province funded training for 15,400 rural labourers, including 3,089 in 2010; 3,475 in 2011; 2,128 in 2012; 3,100 in 2013; and 3,641 in 2014. Of these, 75-80 percent of trainees are employed after they graduate.

 

The results show that Scheme 1956 has helped change the perception of Party and State agencies and especially of local rural workers who used to largely live on available natural resources which have shown signs of exhaustion. This change has also helped improve the quality of life for families in rural areas. Thus, the poverty rate has been reduced significantly in recent years.

 

However, this scheme also faced a lot of difficulties with facilities, equipment and budget for training rural workers, as well as policy mechanism.