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Social Affairs
Dec 14, 2017 / 21:37

Vietnam focuses on education & skills for greener economy transition

Ngoc Thuy

The rapidly growing attention to growth models that are environmentally sustainable and reduce carbon footprint drives developed and developing countries to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, greener growth. Some levers can make this transition faster and more enduring—and education, skills, and talent development is one such area.

Viet Nam is one of the few countries proactively taking initiatives toward green growth, green jobs, and green skills. While the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) together with Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) developed a “Green Industry” strategy for sustainable industrial development, GTZ together with the General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) has developed a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reform project at GDVT, with a special focus on greening.
 
A part of Ho Chi Minh city.
A part of Ho Chi Minh city.
While government action may be triggered by global mandates and agreements, the industry motivation in Viet Nam is quite fragmented and lacks a unified approach, mainly because of the large number of SMEs. Also, the different growth trajectories of each industry sector impede concerted effort toward sustainable practices. 

Environmental issues, therefore, move low on the priority list of some of these sectors. Large corporations, on the other hand, are highly sensitive to the importance of sustainable practices and invest in technology and human skills as they realize their positive impacts on cost saving, brand goodwill, and edge over competition. Even though policy and practice are gradually converging and there are examples in Viet Nam that demonstrate the power of going green, a larger society-wide impetus is still required to demonstrate the advantage of skills that are sustainable, employable, and remunerative over standard skills. 

The government may create incentive systems, exert regulatory pressures, and push reforms, but the real indicator of the country acknowledging green practices would be evident once small and medium industries start recognizing the value of green skills. Government TVET institutions can easily start green skills courses through policy measures; however, absorbing those skills and providing better compensation in industry will remain a bigger challenge. 
 
Some levers can make transition to green growth faster and more enduring—and education, skills, and talent development is one such area.
Some levers can make transition to green growth faster and more enduring—and education, skills, and talent development is one such area.
While success can be achieved in organized businesses, the larger challenge would be small and microenterprises and the informal sector, which have significant shares in the overall employment market. The private TVET sector could easily align its courses toward green skills development when there is a demand from the industry as a whole. While green jobs may have different shades of green across sectors—more in agriculture, less in traditional energy production, more in renewable energy production, and even less in industrial manufacturing—generic green skills development across all jobs is relatively easier to identify and implement. These skills may lead to specific and more technical green skills in the future. The country’s leadership across government, the corporate sector, and civil society need to initiate steps toward generic green skills not only through formal education and training but through a larger social interaction embedded in workplaces, social discourses, and political debates.

Viet Nam is a prominent developing economy in Asia and is expected to become the world’s 17th strongest economy by 2025. To reach its current level the country has over the years navigated important potential obstacles such as colonization, war, central planning, and a closed economy. It is a growing and dynamic economy that is set to achieve important economic reforms and poverty reduction goals. It has also made considerable progress in economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainable development. 

Evidence shows that skills shortages may be impeding the transition to green growth in Viet Nam. Demand from the industry sector for jobs that are both environmentally sustainable and decent is on the rise. Initiatives that heighten awareness of sustainable practices and green employment should be developed. But TVET cannot work in isolation. TVET needs to align with economic policies and new climate change and industry requirements. 

So, recommendation should be as follow: Closely Align Education, Economic, and Environment Policies; Provide Direct and Indirect Incentives to Promote Green Skills; Promote Green and Sustainable Practices as a Key Business Issue; Coordinate Action Between Foreign Aid and Investment Agencies; Encourage Green Skills Through Generic Content in All Forms of Education Curricula: School, Technical, and University; Coordinate and Rationalize Private and Government Training Systems; Promote Greening as a Social Issue; and Expand the Scope of Green Jobs and Green Skills to the Informal and Rural Sectors.

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