Binh Minh Town Continuing Education and Vocational TrainingCentre is providing new training courses on sedge weaving for labourers in Dong Thanh commune. The job helps them earn additionalincome after working in the rice field.
Most of peoplein Dong Thanh are ethnic Khmer and live on growing rice and have a low income.
Thach Thi Tham, one of the women who participated in atraining course in Dong Thanh, said: "After learning the skills, we can earnan additional income of one million VND (42.5 USD) a month from making sedgeweaving products."
Son Thi Say Ha, a teacher at the centre, said thecraft of sedge weaving does not require high techniques and high education, andpeople can use their leisure time to do sedge weaving products.
“The centre has cooperated with establishments that producesedge weaving products to secure outlets for trainees so they can have a joblater,” she said.
The province’s vocational centres have diversified theirtraining courses and time of training so labourers can participate in coursesand still do their job.
According to Vo Thi To Lan,deputy chairwoman of the Tich Thien Commune Women's Union in Tra On district, most women in the commune live onagricultural production and do not have other work to do when they have leisuretime.
The union has worked with a vocational training centre toprovide courses on making handicraft products for its members.
This year, the province plans to provide vocational skillsfor 35,500 labourers, including short-term vocational skills for 7,000 rurallabourers, according to the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and SocialAffairs.
Of the 7,000 rural labourers, 1,500 will be providedagricultural vocational skills and 5,500 will be provided non-agriculturalvocational skills.
Last year, the province provided vocational skill trainingfor 32,741 labourers, including 5,405 from rural areas. More than 50 percent ofthe trainees have found stable jobs.
Huynh Thi My Ha, deputy director of the department, saidthe province’s vocational training had achieved positive results but the rateof trained labourers reached only 50 percent.
The province targets increasing the rate of trained labourersto 55 percent by the end of the year, Ha said.
The province will give priority to vocational skills in highdemand like civil construction, welding, industrial sewing and hospitalityservices.
It will also work with local companies to provide vocationaltraining based on their requirements./.