This cooperative effort will upgrade the quality of the workforce in response to the ASEAN market and help ease shortages of skilled workers in the future

According to the Secretary-General of the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Mr. Chaiprug Sereerak, two Thai-Vietnamese vocational education centers had been established in Viet Nam, under this cooperation project. One is located at Quang Tri Vocational Secondary School in Quang Tri province. Another center is at Hue Industrial College in Hue.

In Thailand, a Thai-Vietnamese vocational education center was set up at Nawamindharachini Vocational College in the northeastern province of Mukdahan.

All these vocational education centers will support vocational education management in both Thailand and Viet Nam. They are jointly working out the curriculum at the diploma level and short-term training courses in Thai and Vietnamese languages and other vocational studies concerning Thai cooking and repairs on motorcycles, electrical appliances, and electronic devices.

Starting in May 2014, the curriculum at the diploma level will last three years and will be taught in English. In the first year, Thai and Vietnamese students will study in their own countries. In the second year, they will study in each other’s country for joint skill development. In the third year, they will study in Thailand and undergo an apprenticeship in workplaces.

Students at Nawamindharachini Vocational College have demonstrated services in the form of the “Fix It Center,” which offers repairs on motorcycles and electrical appliances. These services have attracted many Vietnamese students, since Vietnamese people mainly use motorcycles as their mode of transport.

The Thai-Vietnamese cooperation is part of the tri-nation vocational education program, comprising Thailand, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. The Office of the Vocational Education Commission aims to equip vocational students with knowledge that will enable them to work in neighboring countries.

After their graduation, students under the tri-nation program will receive certificates that are recognized by the three countries. They will be equipped with good experience, making them ready to compete effectively in the ASEAN labor market. The program will be carried with other neighboring countries in the future as well, such as Cambodia and Myanmar.

In the initial stage, the programme will cover three courses, namely mechanics, electrical technology, and computer science.