Nậm Pồ, a mountainous border district, is no stranger to the survey and organization of vocational training courses in rural areas, a yearly activity. Vocational education and training not only improve the labor force quality, help with job creation, but also contribute to shifting the purely agricultural economy and fostering stable and sustainable socio-economic development in the region.

In 2025, local authorities are focusing on streamlining and merging administrative bodies. The process of advising, budgeting, and organizing training courses has been delayed compared to previous years. Typically, vocational training targets for rural laborers are set and courses are conducted starting in February or March. These training courses are held directly in the communes, with two instructors per class, and the training period lasts about three months. Last year, the Nậm Pồ Vocational Training Center was assigned 500 targets, and thanks to early implementation, the center, in collaboration with other training organizations, exceeded this target and trained over 1,000 people.

Due to specificities of the mountainous region, laborers in hamlets, where community ties are strong, tend to follow trends and collective behavior when it comes to work and study. In 2024, non-agricultural vocational training courses such as garment making and construction were in high demand. Most of the trainees after completing these courses found stable jobs with steady incomes, leading to a surge in the number of people moving to work in industrial zones and construction sites. However, the late start of the training courses has had a negative impact on the demand for vocational education in local areas.

Thùng Văn Ánh, Chairman of Chà Nưa commune People’s Committee, said: “In 2024, Chà Nưa commune surveyed and opened four courses with 144 trainees. After training, around 40% of the trainees worked in industrial zones with an average salary of VND 7 - 9 million per month, while the rest practiced their skills and developed livelihoods locally. Due to the training opportunities, many laborers in the commune, after the Lunar New Year (Tết) holiday, were eager to learn. However, the vocational training center opened the courses too late, and some workers had already gone to work far away or joined the industrial zones where other trained workers had found jobs the previous year.”

Without experience and lacking formal vocational training, new workers at garment companies need 1-2 months to learn the job. They are also responsible for their living expenses, which puts them at a disadvantage. Currently, Chà Nưa commune, along with other communes in Nậm Pồ district, is starting to promote and survey the need for new courses. Most trainees prefer courses in garment making and construction.

Nguyễn Trung Thành, Director of the Nậm Pồ Vocational Training Center, said: “The center has 7 staff members, 4 of whom are teachers, and each class has about 35 trainees. To provide training, we need 2 teachers for each class, with the course lasting around 3 months, making it challenging to meet the assigned target. This year, the courses only began in early May, and the Nậm Pồ Vocational Training Center has been assigned to train 600 trainees. The center is urgently working with local authorities to survey training needs and collaborate with educational institutions like the Điện Biên Vocational College and Thăng Long Company to open classes, ensuring that we meet the deadline and target.”

Strengthening vocational training for rural laborers not only helps improve the quality of the workforce but also contributes to the shift of the labor force from pure agriculture to other sectors, which plays a significant role in the stable and sustainable socio-economic development of the region.