Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged President Nguyen Minh Triet to assess and approve a $70-million vocational training project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). An agreement on the loan was signed in Hanoi last October by Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam and an ADB representative, the Phap Luat newspaper reported Jan 13. The loan, from ADB concessional Asian Development Fund, will go to the Vietnam Skills Enhancement Project, which is designed to offer quality training programs in priority industries, including automotive technology, electrical and mechanical manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, IT and navigation and shipping industries. Around 24,000 people are expected to benefit from the program, including 25% being women and members of ethnic minority groups. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will carry out the project which is expected to be completed by August 2015. Though Vietnam has posted impressive gains in economic growth and poverty reduction over the past 20 years, just 13% of its employable workforce has vocational qualifications, said the ADB. (Phap Luat - Vietnam Law Jan 11 p2, Nhan Dan – The People Jan 11 p7)
