Vocational high school: Who is trained, and what is the curriculum like?

The amended Vocational Education and Training Law for the first time includes vocational high school education programs into the vocational education and training (VET) system. Which educational institutions are allowed to implement vocational high school programs, and what are the guidelines for designing these training programs?

These are vocational secondary education institutions.

According to the amended Vocational Education Law recently passed by the National Assembly , the vocational high school education program is one of the vocational education training programs, designed to integrate core knowledge from the high school curriculum with vocational expertise.

According to the Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Law on Education, vocational secondary education is for those who have completed the lower secondary education program or equivalent; vocational secondary education is at the same level as upper secondary education.

The law also stipulates that the Minister of Education and Training shall prescribe the high school curriculum knowledge to be included in vocational secondary education programs; and the list of vocational secondary education fields and occupations.

According to the amended Vocational Education and Training Law, the following training institutions are permitted to implement vocational secondary education programs:

• Colleges and vocational schools;
• Vocational high schools are organized under different names depending on the field or group of industries and occupations they train in; they implement vocational high school education programs, basic level training programs, and other vocational training programs;
• Higher education institutions that offer specialized majors or groups of majors in the arts and sports at the university level may also implement college-level, intermediate-level, or vocational high school education programs in the same field or group of majors.

According to the vocational education curriculum design guidelines of the Department of Vocational Education, the goal of the vocational secondary education program is to complete general education, equip learners with the ability to perform and solve tasks in stable conditions and familiar environments of their respective industries and professions; the ability to apply modern techniques and technologies to their work, work independently, and work in teams.

Notably, the entry requirement for the vocational high school program is a junior high school graduation (whereas currently, junior high school graduates are the primary target group for vocational training at the intermediate level). The output standards are ensured to be consistent with the program's objectives, appropriate to the characteristics of learners who have completed junior high school education, the requirements of vocational high school education within the Vietnamese National Qualifications Framework, and to ensure a combination of core knowledge from the high school curriculum and vocational expertise.

According to the plan, the total amount of knowledge covered in the vocational high school program is expected to be approximately 3,300 hours.

PHOTO: YEN THI

Academic studies are combined with vocational training.

According to the curriculum design guidelines for vocational high schools in Vietnam, the total knowledge volume of the vocational high school program is expected to be approximately 3,300 hours, balanced between general education and vocational skills.

Specifically:

• The core knowledge block of the high school curriculum is expected to be approximately 1,500 hours. The high school cultural subjects are designed to include mandatory core cultural knowledge applicable to all vocational training programs in the high school system, aiming to achieve a complete high school cultural education; and a number of elective subjects tailored to the specific training field. Each subject is required to integrate and incorporate examples and exercises relevant to the training field, helping students understand the practical significance of cultural knowledge.
• The compulsory general subjects, such as politics, law, and national defense and security education, are expected to total approximately 300 hours.
• The coursework and vocational modules are expected to account for approximately 1,500 hours.

In terms of organization, the program is designed to integrate academic subjects with vocational modules each semester, avoiding the situation where all academic subjects are concentrated in the first year, which is a cause of boredom and dropout among students.

Regarding the integration of training programs, the orientation is to integrate core knowledge from the high school curriculum with vocational specialization (partially incorporating vocational specialization into the core knowledge block of the high school curriculum through examples, exercises, etc.); to integrate vocational specialization with general education knowledge (supplementing general education knowledge relevant to the specialization to support learning in the field or profession that students are pursuing); and to integrate theory and practice in teaching. The specific methods of organizing and implementing this integration are at the discretion of the school and teachers to suit the target audience and the training field.

Meritorious Teacher - Master Lam Van Quan, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Education Association, believes that vocational high schools open up opportunities to upgrade the model and expand the enrollment target for vocational and college-level schools. With a clear legal framework, schools can standardize and upgrade existing 9+ programs into true vocational high school programs, attracting students with early career orientations and aptitudes.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-hoc-nghe-ai-duoc-dao-tao-chuong-trinh-hoc-ra-sao-18525122122301746.htm