In her opening remarks, Ms. Kaye Eldridge, Aus4Skills Program Director, shared that vocational education and training (VET) is affected by limited perceptions about the potential of people with disabilities.
Orientation workshop on the training course for VET educators supporting students with disability Photo: PHáş M THU NGĂ‚N
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are approximately two million persons with disability in Vietnam who are unemployed and unable to reach their full potential. The Vietnamese Government has introduced policies and laws to promote job opportunities and employment. However, the translation into action plans is hampered by lack of understanding, such as the perception that people with disability cannot work safely.
“The recent revision of the Labour Code is a positive signal about equal opportunity reforms in Viet Nam, and the country’s responsiveness to possibilities for improving worker and economic productivity. The digitalisation of the teaching and logistics sector also opens up an array of new roles. It is excellent timing for promoting inclusion, for everyone’s benefit. I encourage you to learn from the Australian experience in promoting inclusive education, including lessons learnt and how they might be adapted to your own circumstances as appropriate”, said Ms. Kaye Eldridge.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Cu, Deputy Director of DRD Center, the training course in Ho Chi Minh Cit will engage more than 10 VET schools and representative organisations for people with disabilities.
The course will be conducted over five months and combine online and offline training. Delivered by DRD Center with Aus4Skills support, the course will provide participants with knowledge and skills to engage more people with disabilities in vocational education, using tools such as digital access, career orientation support for different types of disability, mentoring models.
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Dang Minh Su, Head of Vocational Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the number of people with disabilities participating in vocational education was still limited.
As a state management representative, Mr. Su suggested that teachers should “listen with all their hearts to raise awareness of people with disabilities”, to identify visible and invisible barriers to accessibility, such as infrastructure, access to digital technology, perceptions and behaviours towards people with disabilities, and recruitment, and find ways to remove those barriers.
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Aus4Skills is an Australian Government-funded program that provides support to Vietnam to achieve the shared goal of Vietnam accessing and using high-level professional and technical knowledge, skills and competencies to contribute to the country’s sustainable economic and social development. This training course is part of Aus4Skills “Promoting industry linkages with vocational education and training” component.
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Source: thanhnien.vn
