How to get screw installers and auto repairmen to speak English well?

"Every training program must be revised, every curriculum must be changed"

The seminar "Building digital transformation solutions in schools and organizing teaching and learning in foreign languages at colleges, intermediate schools, vocational education and continuing education centers" organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training took place this afternoon (November 4).

Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, emphasized: "Digital transformation and international integration through foreign language proficiency are two parallel, inseparable pillars to improve the quality of human resources in the capital."

The Department identified three key groups of issues that require advice from vocational schools in the city, including: Removing bottlenecks in data management, system operation and digital learning materials development; proposing models and feasible solutions to build digital training processes and organize effective teaching in foreign languages; determining connection and communication mechanisms for technological solutions to build models.

Principal of Hanoi College of Technology Pham Xuan Khanh said that to provide vocational training in the digital age, all programs, textbooks, and lectures must be digitized synchronously.

Mr. Khanh said that Hanoi College of Technology currently trains 45 different professions. Digital transformation requires synchronous revision of all training programs, from electronic curriculum, electronic textbooks, electronic lesson plans, electronic lectures, electronic tests, simulation experiments and other digital learning materials...

From this reality, Mr. Khanh proposed solutions such as: investing in upgrading information technology infrastructure; creating a shared digital platform; proposing a shared data warehouse, building and developing data centers and researching and developing AI applications.

Regarding the issue of teaching and learning in foreign languages, Ms. Dao Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Foreign Language Department ofFPT Polytechnic College, said that technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are opening up opportunities to turn English into an essential skill for ordinary workers.

At FPT Polytechnic, 100% of students study using laptops and take exams entirely online. Virtual conversation tools help students practice listening and speaking skills and communicate effectively. At the same time, 99% of lecturers are proficient in creating complete electronic lectures.

However, according to Ms. Huong, in order for digital transformation and teaching and learning in foreign languages to be truly applicable, in addition to the solutions proposed by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khanh, there needs to be more AI and foreign language playgrounds for vocational school students. These activities will also help form a strong digital vocational college community.

Ms. Huong also expressed her wish that education leaders pay more attention to teaching English to vocational school students, so that average-level workers can also communicate effectively in English with foreigners.

“How should we train a screw installer or car repairman to speak English as well as taxi drivers in the Philippines, Thailand…”, Ms. Huong expressed.

Digital transformation in vocational schools still has many bottlenecks

According to the report of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, currently in the city there are 68 colleges, 85 intermediate schools, 29 vocational education and training centers out of a total of 352 vocational training institutions.

This is one of the two largest vocational training networks in the country, providing technical human resources for the capital and the key economic region of the North.

Since 2025, the Department has issued a series of plans and documents to implement the "Digital Education for All" movement, digital transcripts, and digital transformation programs across the industry.

To date, more than 70% of colleges and secondary schools have had a learning management platform (LMS) and an online training management system. Some pioneering units such as Hanoi College of Electromechanics, Hanoi College of High Technology, Hanoi College of Technology and Science, FPT Polytechnic College, etc. have applied AI in lesson design, testing and assessment.

However, digital infrastructure and capacity remain uneven, investment funding is limited, copyright and security costs are high, many teachers do not have specialized digital skills, and there is a lack of a shared database to connect the entire industry.

Regarding foreign language teaching and learning, some schools have initially organized bilingual programs, linked with FDI enterprises, and opened foreign language classes according to professional needs. However, the general situation of schools is a lack of qualified English teachers, a lack of practice environments, and a lack of policies to encourage students to learn foreign languages.

A representative of FSEL - the provider of an online foreign language learning platform that won the Sao Khue Award for Science and Technology - provided a survey figure that only 5% of Vietnamese students are currently learning English according to international standards. This means that a large proportion of the remaining students have not yet learned standard English.

In order to bring English in particular and foreign languages in general to vocational school students, the problem that needs to be solved is to have a digital transformation ecosystem and foreign language training for vocational education institutions.

FSEL proposed that the Department allow this unit to assess the English proficiency of 140,000 teachers in Hanoi for free, and at the same time support the development of a roadmap to achieve B1 and B2 standards.

This unit also recommends a legal corridor for vocational schools to share a digital platform. With data connectivity, all vocational schools can learn, teach, and evaluate on the same transparent and effective system.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/lam-sao-de-nhan-vien-lap-oc-vit-sua-o-to-cung-noi-tot-tieng-anh-20251104170203492.htm