AusAID, WB Pledge Continued Support for Vietnam HR Development

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has signed an agreement to fund phase II of the Vietnam Blended Learning Program, managed by the World Bank through its Vietnam Development Information Centre (VDIC). The AUD900,000 grant over the period of 2011-2015 is a continuation of a AUD674,000 trust fund that AusAID contributed to VDIC for the period of 2004-2010.
 The Vietnam Blended Learning Program aims to support Vietnamese institutions’ projects through the use of innovative learning methodology in their education and training programs, such as applying information and communications technologies. The program is inviting organizations to send letters for funding provision. Vietnam now has more than 47 million people of working age, of whom 65% has not been trained, negatively affecting the country’s FDI attraction. In fact, 25% of vocational training graduates fail to meet requirements of FDI firms. The country is in redundancy of unskilled workers, but lack of skilled ones. Vietnam targets to have 58.5% of skilled workers and reduce the workforce in the agriculture sector to 31% by 2020 from the current 51%. (www.vietnamplus.vn Oct 27)