HCM CITY — A programme launched two years ago to provide vocational training to rural workers through 2020 will focus on quality and not quantity though it targets training 600,000 people this year, an official has said.

Cao Van Sam, deputy head of the labour ministry's Vocational Training Department, said the project steering committee had determined that vocational training must meet the job market's needs in terms of skills.

It had done this to ensure Project 1956, as it is known, met its target of securing jobs for at least 70 per cent of trainees.

"The vocational training models that were adopted successfully in 2009, 2010, and 2011 would continue to be used this year."

Provinces and cities across the nation had reported that they were focused on rural communes that were expanding and had high demand for labour.

This would boost economic development there.

"Farmers are seeking to learn various skills but we think the most important thing is that the skills they learn must be appropriate for the production and economic needs of their localities." Sam said.

The programme first sought to create jobs for rural workers in their own localities before training workers who wanted to work in other localities or overseas.

Jobs related to farming and animal husbandry suitable for each locality would be given priority.

The main aim was to instil knowledge, skills, and attitudes in rural workers to advance the trend of switching from producing for the domestic market to exports.

Despite difficulties in providing jobs and vocational training in rural areas, Project 1956 was going on smoothly.

There was a shortage of vocational teachers, but this was being overcome by recruiting engineers and "good" agriculture and rural workers – identified and awarded annually around the country – and providing them pedagogy skills so that they could, in turn, teach others.

Last year around 450,000 people were provided vocational training under the project. - VNS