In early June, the provincial Party Committee held a meeting where the provincial People’s Committee reported on the progress of the plan to merge the colleges. The conference approved the merger plan and agreed on the name Điện Biên College after the merger. Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Trần Quốc Cường emphasized that the establishment of Điện Biên College plays an essential role in the development of vocational education and human resource training in the province, contributing to the province’s progress in the new phase. Therefore, the relevant agencies need to quickly submit a specific proposal to the provincial People’s Committee for approval and implementation.

Accordingly, the provincial People’s Committee has directed the Department of Education and Training to lead and collaborate with relevant provincial agencies to finalize the proposal to merge Điện Biên Vocational College with Điện Biên College of Economics and Techniques, renaming it Điện Biên College. The current plan includes merging the entire land, infrastructure, staff, and existing training programs of both institutions. Upon merging, Điện Biên College will retain the program codes and courses that were previously certified by the two colleges, including 10 college-level programs and 23 intermediate-level programs.

The direction is to review and remove certain programs and courses that have difficulty attracting students or are not in demand at the intermediate or college levels, such as finance and banking, forestry, animal husbandry, plant science, and land management. Starting in 2026, the college will expand to offer courses in high-demand areas, such as logistics, beauty care, e-commerce, high-tech agriculture, and mechatronics. The expected annual enrollment is around 1,200 students, with a total capacity of about 1,600 students (360 college students, 1,240 intermediate students) and 2,000 learners for the driver training programs.

The plan also outlines that Điện Biên College will utilize the facilities, equipment, and resources currently available at both Điện Biên College of Economics and Techniques and Điện Biên Vocational College. Therefore, Điện Biên College will have enough classrooms, laboratories, practical training rooms, and experimental production facilities, along with sufficient equipment for the registered training programs. The college is expected to operate from three campuses: the main office at Điện Biên College of Economics and Techniques, one training facility at the current site of Điện Biên Vocational College, and another at the Driver Training and Testing Center in Thanh Nưa commune, Điện Biên district.

After the merger, Điện Biên College will employ 235 staff members. For excess or misaligned personnel, the college plans to provide retraining and reassignment. In cases where individuals wish to retire or voluntarily resign according to government regulations, the school will review and process these cases in line with the regulations, with the goal of reducing the staff by at least 10% annually, in accordance with the state’s budget reduction plan.

The province is currently finalizing the proposal and aims to soon submit it to the Ministry of Education and Training for approval to merge and establish Điện Biên College. The provincial government is preparing the necessary conditions to implement the plan as soon as the ministry’s decision is issued.