The demand for high-quality human resources requires tourism vocational training to adopt digital transformation.

According to Mr. Pham Ba Hung, Principal of Hue Tourism College, digital transformation in tourism vocational training at the school has been strongly promoted recently. This includes not only applying digital transformation to lectures, teaching, and learning, but also to management. In fact, digital transformation opens up great opportunities to improve and diversify teaching and learning methods. This enhances interaction and learning experiences for students. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, machine learning, and virtual reality (VR) provide opportunities to develop new training methods, from online courses to interactive classes supported by AI and VR, simulating real-world situations in the tourism industry.

However, digital transformation in vocational training for tourism also presents numerous challenges. One of the biggest challenges is investing in infrastructure and information technology. This requires significant financial resources along with commitment from training institutions and the government . Furthermore, developing human resources with the skills and pedagogical competence to teach in a digital environment is also a challenge, requiring professional and systematic teacher training programs.

At the recent international conference "Digital Transformation in Tourism Vocational Training" held in Hue, Professor Dr. Dao Manh Hung, former Director of the Training Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and President of the Vietnam Tourism Training Association (VITAE), pointed out that units in the tourism industry still face challenges in many aspects, especially a shortage of human resources. Vocational skills training for specialized tourism fields requires practical training to account for over 60% of the time, such as: culinary arts, beverage mixing techniques, etc. To apply digital transformation in teaching these specialized fields, it is necessary to provide knowledge and skills to the teaching staff, not just rely on the communication department. It is crucial to leverage the strengths of digital transformation combined with high-level practical skills to create effective teaching methods. Furthermore, the policy of schools collaborating with tourism businesses to implement practical training is a very sound one; in reality, almost all schools have partnerships with businesses. However, more attention needs to be paid to the actual quality of training within these partnerships.

According to experts, to maximize opportunities and overcome challenges, vocational training institutions in the tourism sector need to develop a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, ranging from upgrading technological infrastructure and developing training program content to adopting new and innovative teaching and learning methods. Simultaneously, close coordination between educational institutions, businesses in the tourism industry, and the government is essential.

According to Dr. Vo Hoang Lien Minh, Chief of the Office of the Department of Tourism, the Digital Transformation Program in Vocational Education for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, has been outlined by the General Department of Vocational Training as a group of solutions for implementation. These include: perfecting the system of legal documents; issuing standards for digital schools, digital infrastructure, digital practical classrooms, digital curricula and textbooks, and the application of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. Simultaneously, it is necessary to implement tools and activities to ensure quality, and to test and evaluate vocational skills through the digital environment.

According to Professor, Doctor, and Meritorious Teacher Dao Manh Hung, tourism human resource training institutions need to quickly adopt advanced and highly effective teaching methods, boldly surpass themselves, clearly recognize the limitations that create stagnation, and focus on digital transformation in their teaching programs. A comprehensive policy, plan, and organization are needed, from the management agency to the head of the training institution, the teaching staff, technicians, quality assurance personnel, and students, ensuring they have the capacity to access digital transformation teaching methods from the very first steps and lessons.

Text and photos: Huu Phuc