Vocational training, job creation: A way out of poverty in Dong Giang

(QNO) - To pave the way out of poverty, Dong Giang district has been focusing on implementing vocational education so that local people can receive vocational training and find stable jobs to improve their income and living standards.

Two local young men work as receptionists at “Dong Giang Heaven Gate”. Photo: CT

Multiple results

Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thanh - Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Dong Giang district said that vocational education work has always been directed and implemented according to the set plan by the District People's Committee. In 2023 alone, regarding elementary level training and training under 3 months, as of May 31, the District People's Committee has allocated more than 180 million VND to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Giang to conduct agricultural vocational training for workers in the district. From here, the functional department is coordinating with communes and towns to recruit students, planning to open 4 agricultural vocational training classes.

Vocational training and job creation are also focused on by localities in implementing sub-projects and projects in the education sector in national target programs (NTPs).

As of May 31, 2023, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Dong Giang has coordinated to complete a food processing technical vocational class for 35 students in Ma Cooih commune, under the National Target Program for Socio-economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period 2022 - 2025. For the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction, the relevant agencies are coordinating with the People's Committees of communes and towns to organize information, propaganda, and vocational training recruitment consultation, and 56 workers from poor and near-poor households have registered to participate.

According to the plan to implement the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction, from now until the end of 2023, Dong Giang will open 2 more non-agricultural vocational training classes for 56 workers from poor and near-poor households. For the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2022-2025 period, the district plans to open 2 non-agricultural vocational training classes for 69 workers from ethnic minorities. People will receive free vocational training in food processing techniques, beverage mixing, and finishing masonry. Trainees will receive food allowances; and travel allowances depending on the distance traveled and the area of residence. The training class will be held in the commune center, to facilitate the participation of trainees.

There are many obstacles

Dong Giang Heaven Gate Eco-tourism Area (located in Ma Cooi and Ka Dang communes of Dong Giang district) was officially put into operation and opened on April 29, 2022.

Dong Giang Heaven Gate is also the first tourist area with the largest scale in the mountainous area of western Quang Nam, known as a masterpiece in the middle of the forest. True to its initial commitment and wish, in order to operate and exploit to serve tourists, the investor, Hang Gop Eco-tourism Joint Stock Company (under FVG Group), has recruited, trained and received hundreds of employees who are people living in Dong Giang, most of whom are Co Tu people.

Dong Giang promotes propaganda about poverty reduction policies with diverse contents and methods. Photo: CT — Dong Giang promotes propaganda about poverty reduction policies and poverty reduction actions with diverse contents and methods. Photo: D.N.THANH

Thus, local children do not have to go far to have stable jobs, have conditions to improve their income, and help their families escape poverty. However, Dong Giang has few businesses and units that can solve local jobs for local people, because attracting investment still faces many obstacles. Therefore, linking with businesses in vocational training and solving jobs for local workers after training is not simple.

According to Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thanh, the funding from the national target programs is allocated a lot, while in reality, the annual recruitment of students in localities faces many difficulties because people are not interested in registering to study vocational training programs, leading to great pressure on disbursement to keep up with the progress of the locality. In addition, it is not easy to inform, propagate and mobilize workers who go to work in neighboring provinces and cities to register for vocational training, register to work abroad for a limited period of time according to current policies as well as career orientation.

Currently, people tend to look for jobs at companies and factories, most of which are in need of recruiting unskilled workers, so this workforce has not been trained in a profession. Therefore, the competent authorities need to have policies to encourage workers to look for jobs at companies so that they can have income immediately upon starting work, and organize vocational training right at the enterprise to meet the job requirements.

At the same time, there needs to be a support policy so that workers can stick with their trained jobs for a long time. Then, those responsible will be able to solve all three problems: supplying labor to businesses, providing vocational training for workers, and solving jobs for workers after training. "However, no matter what is said, the people themselves must first have the will to rise up, this is a prerequisite for sustainable poverty reduction" - Mr. Do Huu Tung, Vice Chairman of Dong Giang District People's Committee once shared.

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