Training is key

Human resources are valuable assets, directly affecting business efficiency.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy, Head of the Faculty of Tourism, Hanoi University of Culture, said that for the tourism industry, human resources are considered valuable assets, directly affecting the business efficiency of enterprises as well as the sustainable development of the industry.

According to current statistical reports, each year the tourism industry needs more than 40,000 workers, but the number of students graduating from tourism training institutions each year is about 15,000 people, of which more than 15% have college or university degrees... The labor force in the tourism sector is still lacking in quantity and does not guarantee expertise.

The quality of human resources provided by training institutions for the tourism labor market is generally assessed as not meeting the requirements of businesses. Workers with university and post-university degrees account for only 9.7%, primary, intermediate and college degrees account for over 50%, below primary degrees account for 39.3%... Of which, only 43% are trained in professional skills in tourism.

In addition, the shift in the human resource structure of the tourism industry has not yet ensured sustainability, the scale is still small, not commensurate with the potential, and has not met the requirements of sustainable development of the country. Many human resource sectors still lack highly skilled workers and foreign language proficiency such as accommodation services, tour guides, etc.; the force of professional staff and experts in state management, enterprises, business administration, policy making, market research, strategy building, planning, etc. is also very lacking.

Students of Ha Long University practice guiding skills at tourist attractions.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy, ensuring human resources is one of the breakthroughs for the tourism industry, successfully implementing the goals set out in the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy 2030 with a vision to 2045.

Vietnam tourism always needs a large workforce to create opportunities for the tourism economy to develop strongly, on the other hand, to solve the great pressure on employment and vocational training. Ensuring increasing both quantity and quality with a more reasonable structure according to the requirements of tourism development and the trend of science and technology development when our country integrates deeply and comprehensively into the international community in the process of industrialization and modernization.

To develop Vietnam's tourism human resources in the current new stage, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy said that training qualified human resources with service level always requires attention and close, synchronous coordination of all levels, sectors and the whole society.

In particular, the State needs to consider training in general and training in specific fields as a key issue and must be implemented more seriously and fundamentally with priority development policies; The development of high-quality human resources according to international standards must become an important strategy in the country's development process. This is considered a breakthrough in the integration and development process.

The tourism industry needs to pay attention to collecting and building an information system on the supply and demand of tourism human resources nationwide to ensure the balance between supply and demand of human resources. Innovate policies, mechanisms and tools for human resource development.

In addition, improve and strengthen coordination with relevant ministries, sectors and localities to adjust the planning of the network of tourism training facilities to ensure that it is suitable for the development of each region. Invest in schools under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the core for training tourism human resources at all training levels in many key tourism centers in Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City... At the same time, form local vocational training schools.

Along with that, it is necessary to encourage the expansion of tourism training facilities in enterprises, non-public and with foreign investment capital according to the provisions of Vietnamese law. Continue to promote the diversification of types of schools, classes, centers and tourism training and development facilities. Coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs and relevant ministries and branches to develop regulations on standards for tourism training schools...

Training human resources for tourism in Lam Binh district, Tuyen Quang.

To meet the requirements of increasing the scale and improving the quality and effectiveness of training and developing human resources for the tourism industry, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy said that it is necessary to focus on mobilizing resources for training. In addition to capital from the budget, it is necessary to promote socialization and build policies to attract investment in the field of training and developing human resources for the tourism industry.

The tourism training system needs to quickly reach national standards; Establish a national qualification framework suitable for the region and the world; Quickly carry out digital transformation, build an ecosystem in the tourism training school system according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Develop regulations and mechanisms for international cooperation in training and developing human resources for the industry...

In addition, it is also necessary to seriously carry out the inspection of educational institutions and training programs; develop vocational skills assessment centers for workers associated with investment in construction at vocational training facilities in a number of enterprises and a number of training facilities...

Need to have the qualities of an international tourism worker

According to Dr. Do Hai Yen, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Tourism, East Asia University of Technology, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism human resources have had many fluctuations. Many skilled personnel have had to switch to different jobs such as: restaurant, shipper, real estate, ... Vietnamese tourism human resources in the past two years have returned to the tourism profession, but some successful personnel in "side business" still maintain as "side jobs", from which the number of high-quality human resources has also been lost and there is a certain "brain drain".

Besides, international tourism has not really recovered, except for the Korean tourist market in destinations such as Nha Trang and Phu Quoc;

In the tourism development strategy proposed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, by 2030, Vietnam tourism will create jobs for about 5.5 - 6 million jobs, including about 3 million direct jobs.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, although Vietnam's tourism human resources have received attention in recent years, the proportion of human resources with expertise and international standards is still low. Specialized human resources such as international tour guides in specific markets: spiritual tourism, thematic tourism, etc. are still limited in quantity and quality in terms of foreign language skills, experience, labor productivity and professionalism.

Internship hours of tourism students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

Dr. Do Hai Yen believes that in the current context of international integration in tourism human resources, tourism workers need to have the qualities of international tourism workers, according to social needs; specifically: Foreign language proficiency; Foreign language knowledge in tourism and Creative and professional practice capacity.

In the current context of tourism training, in line with the integration trend, tourism training of schools linking schools - businesses - the state with learners is a necessary task. This connection creates resources for future businesses, creates jobs, opportunities for tourism learners; creates convenience for state management and reduces costs for schools when connecting with businesses, reduces class time, sends students to "early apprenticeship" at businesses and earns income.

During theoretical lessons, the school's cooperation with experts from tourism businesses also brings practical knowledge closer to school, helping learners and teachers develop their careers faster.

"However, to implement this "3-house" human resource development solution, it is necessary to research policies to support lecturers and procedures, support payment for experts because lecturers' salaries are limited; income from businesses is inherently very high, tuition fees are included in the package for learners. Therefore, the active implementation of this solution is currently still mainly implemented through the "relationships" of subject lecturers, not yet officially and universally, from which if not concerned and resolved soon, there will still be many shortcomings", Dr. Do Hai Yen expressed.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/nang-cao-chat-luong-nhan-luc-du-lich-bai-2-cong-tac-dao-tao-la-then-chot-202404280711073.htm