More effective vocational training support

The majority of unemployed people prefer receiving unemployment benefits and show little interest in vocational training, which is why support policies have not been widely embraced by workers.

Unemployed at the age of 38, Mr. Pham Huu Hy, residing in Tan Tao ward, Ho Chi Minh City, went to the Employment Service Center to register for unemployment benefits.

Indifference to learning a trade

Mr. Hy was advised by the Employment Service Center to participate in a vocational training course in refrigeration and air conditioning repair with a tuition subsidy of approximately 70%. However, believing that "vocational training takes several months while the family needs money for daily expenses," he chose to receive unemployment benefits to cover immediate costs and look for temporary work.

The culinary arts courses at the Asia-Europe Vocational Training Center attract a considerable number of workers because they meet the exact needs of the market.

Cases like Mr. Hy's are not unique; they reflect the reality that many unemployed workers are interested in receiving unemployment benefits immediately and are not yet willing to invest time in vocational training to secure long-term stability.

According to the Ministry of Interior , in the first six months of 2025, there were 345,175 cases of unemployment benefits nationwide, but only 8,740 people participated in vocational training. This modest rate of about 2.5% shows that workers are not yet enthusiastic about vocational training after losing their jobs.

Statistics from the Department of Employment - Ministry of Interior show that the rate of unemployed people participating in vocational training is very low, fluctuating around 7% for many years. This indicates that policies supporting vocational training have not received widespread attention from the unemployed.

Many believe that the primary reason is that vocational training programs are not aligned with employment needs. Numerous professions are offered in training programs, but after completion, workers struggle to find suitable jobs, leading to a reluctance to participate.

On the other hand, the current support level of 1.5 million VND/month/person is considered insufficient to encourage workers to confidently pursue vocational training. Career counseling and connections with businesses are also inadequate. Many employment service centers mainly inform about benefits, lacking in-depth career guidance or close links with businesses to ensure job placement for trainees.

Meanwhile, many unemployed people still prefer to receive immediate unemployment benefits rather than invest time in vocational training for long-term development. Age and family circumstances also make many hesitant to relearn a trade from scratch.

Innovate methods and approaches.

Many labor experts view supporting the unemployed in vocational training as a significant step forward in the social security system. For this policy to be effective, both the approach and the implementation mechanisms need to be reformed.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, former Director of the Institute of Labor and Social Sciences , emphasized the implementation approach. According to her, simply providing general support and leaving workers to fend for themselves will be very difficult to succeed. The State, businesses, and vocational training institutions need to participate in designing training packages closely aligned with recruitment needs.

In the context of a rapidly changing labor market, where many jobs are disappearing and new ones are emerging, providing vocational training opportunities for the unemployed not only helps them find work but also contributes to social stability.

Therefore, significant reforms are needed in several related areas. Specifically, vocational training support should be increased to reflect actual costs; training methods and fields should be diversified, especially in digital skills, foreign languages, and soft skills. In addition, short, flexible vocational courses that can be taken online should be designed; and counseling and communication efforts should be intensified to ensure workers understand the opportunities after training...

"Social welfare policies are only meaningful when they are embraced by the people. Unfortunately, for many years, the number of unemployed people participating in vocational training has remained very low. If the implementation method is not changed soon, the vocational training support policy will continue to be ineffective, while workers are still struggling to find jobs and businesses are still lacking skilled labor," Ms. Huong expressed her concern.

Output must be guaranteed.

Many vocational training experts believe that the mindset of "training for the sake of training" needs to change. Mr. Nguyen Khanh Cuong, Principal of LILAMA 2 International College of Technology, commented that if training programs do not guarantee job placement, then vocational training support policies will be difficult to attract.

According to Mr. Cuong, it is time for authorities, vocational training institutions, and businesses to take more decisive action, transforming vocational training support policies into a gateway to employment opportunities, helping the unemployed confidently overcome difficulties. This is also the foundation for ensuring sustainable social security, stabilizing the labor market, and promoting socio-economic development.

"Businesses need to participate in this vocational training 'game'. When businesses order training and commit to hiring after the course, workers will clearly see the benefits and confidently participate," Mr. Cuong observed.

Not appealing enough

At the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, in the first six months of 2025, only about 1,000 out of more than 51,000 unemployed people receiving unemployment benefits registered for vocational training to improve their skills.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, many workers are not enthusiastic about vocational training because there are few participating training institutions. The complicated procedures for settling expenses also discourage many vocational schools from actively participating. Furthermore, the policy only supports tuition fees, not travel or accommodation costs, making it unattractive to workers.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/ho-tro-hoc-nghe-hieu-qua-hon-post879941.html