DECISION

APPROVING THE SCHEME ON SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE 2010-2015 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the November 29, 2006 Law on Vocational Training;
Pursuant to the November 29, 2006 Law on Gender Equality;
At the proposal of the President of the Vietnam Women's Union,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Scheme on support for women in vocational training and job creation in the 2010-2015 period, with the following contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS AND OBJECTIVES

1. Viewpoints:

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b/ To increase opportunities for women to learn jobs and be employed, especially rural women, middle-aged women, ethnic minority women and women in extremely disadvantaged areas and areas subject to relocation and ground clearance:

c/ The State shall increase investment in the development of vocational training and job creation for women; adopt policies to mobilize all resources in society to pay attention to vocational training and employment for women; and attach importance to developing vocational training establishments attracting large numbers of women, especially those under the Vietnam Women's Union.

2. Objectives of the Scheme:

a/ Overall objective: Increased vocational training for women will contribute to ensuring women's right to vocational training and employment in the Law on Gender Equality; to raise the rate of women provided with vocational training and increase the quality and competitiveness of female workers; to create opportunities for women to be employed with stable incomes, helping eradicate hunger, reduce poverty and enhance their status: to meet the requirements of the cause of national industrialization and modernization and international economic integration.

b/ Specific objectives:

- 70% or higher of female workers will be aware of the Party's guidelines and the State's laws and policies on vocational training and employment;

- The rate of female workers in total recruited vocational trainees will reach 40%. in which the rate of female workers receiving intermediate and collegial vocational training will quickly increase; and the rate of female workers employed after attending vocational training will be at least 70%;

- Vocational training and employment establishments of the Vietnam Women's Union and women's unions at all levels will provide counseling on vocational training and introduce and create jobs for about 100,000 women annually, including some 50.000 female workers provided with vocational training.

II. TARGET BENEFICIARIES

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III. POLICIES

1. Policies towards trainees

- Female workers eligible for preferential treatment policy, those with meritorious services to the revolution, those of poor households or ethnic minorities, disabled female workers, female workers whose cultivation land areas are recovered, and female workers laid off by enterprises are entitled to support for short-term vocational training expenses (undcr-3-month training in basic job skills) not exceeding VND 3 million/pcrson/training course (specific support levels will depend on trained job and actual training duration); support for meal expenses at the level of VND 15.000/training day/person: support for travel expenses based on mass transit fares not exceeding VND 200,000/person/ training course for those who have to travel 15 km or longer to training establishments;

- Female workers of households with maximum incomes equal to 150% of incomes of poor households (in both rural and urban areas) are entitled to support for short-term vocational training expenses (under-3-month training in basic job skills) not exceeding VND 2.5 million/ person/training course (specific support levels will depend on trained job and actual training duration);

- Other female workers are entitled to support for short-term vocational training expenses (under-3-month training in basic job skills) not exceeding VND 2 million/person/training course (specific support levels will depend on trained job and actual training duration);

- Female workers may obtain loans for attending vocational training under current regulations on credit for pupils and students. After receiving vocational training, female workers who have stable jobs in their places of residence are entitled to budget support for 100% of interests on their loans taken out for vocational training;

- Ethnic minority female workers eligible for preferential treatment, female workers with meritorious services to the revolution, those of poor households or households with maximum incomes equal to 150% of incomes of poor households attending intermediate or collegial vocational training courses are eligible for vocational training policies applicable to boarding ethnic minority pupils;

- After receiving vocational training, female workers may get access to loans from the national employment fund under the national target employment program for self employment;

- After receiving vocational training, female workers engaged in production and business activities or self-employed are prioritized to receive supports for trade promotion and introduction of products from employment support activities under this Scheme and current trade promotion programs;

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- Vocational training supports shall be adjusted upon change in general policies.

2. Policies towards teachers and trainers:

Teachers and trainers will enjoy policies under the Prime Minister's Decision No. 1956/QD-TTg of November 27, 2009, approving the Scheme on vocational training for rural workers through 2020.

IV. MAJOR SOLUTIONS

1. To step up communication work to raise awareness about vocational training and employment and the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws on vocational training and employment for women:

- Women's unions at all levels shall work out plans for communication on the role, position and importance of vocational training and employment for women within their communication and mobilization programs; to promote propaganda targeted at women, communities and vocational training establishments with a view to raising awareness and changing thinking about vocational training and the sense of vocational training and job creation and increasing incomes for women and society;

- To intensively and extensively promote propaganda in the mass media on the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws on vocational training and employment for female workers to know and actively attend vocational training;

- To use forms of propaganda suited to each group of beneficiaries, each geographical area and practical conditions of agencies, units and localities on units and individuals making achievements in vocational training and job creation for women; female workers excelling in jobs and achieve high vocational training results in order to encourage the involvement of society in vocational training and job creation for women and encourage women to actively participate in vocational training and properly perform their jobs.

2. To further involve ministries, branches, agencies and women's unions at all levels in elaborating and proposing laws and policies and overseeing the implementation of laws and policies on vocational training and employment for women:

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- To study vocational training and employment needs of women; policy impacts on vocational training and employment of women; to attract women to attend vocational training; oversight mechanisms and the system of reporting and statistics on national targets: rate of women trained in jobs skills/total trained workers, percentage of women placed in new jobs/total workers placed in new jobs, and other targets related to the attainment of these above targets;

- To increase oversight, counterargument and assessment of current policies on vocational training and employment for women.

3. To develop vocational training programs and materials exclusively used for female workers:

- To develop vocational training programs and materials suited to different female worker training levels; to attach importance to updating new techniques and technologies for female worker-intensive high-income traditional trades and jobs;

- To study and develop syllabuses and training materials for new jobs suited to the labor market and female workers. To mobilize craftsmen, technicians, engineers and highly skilled workers from universities, enterprises and production and business establishments to participate in developing vocational training programs and materials for female workers;

- To develop on a pilot basis electronic vocational training programs (e-learning) for women.

4. To step up activities to support women in vocational training and employment:

- To increase and develop training in new occupations and jobs in response to the labor market. To expand training in jobs newly emerging in the market that are female worker-intensive.

- To diversify forms of vocational training: formal and regular vocational training; to expand associated vocational training and implement transferable vocational training at different levels, incrementally increase the rate of female workers attending advanced vocational training; to expand training in jobs suited to female workers' characteristics and middle-aged women; to associate and collaborate in providing vocational training for female workers in enterprises, cooperatives and cooperative groups; to associate with enterprises in organizing vocational training and practice;

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- To proactively collaborate with enterprises and production and business establishments, especially the networks of female entrepreneurs' associations and clubs, in creating new jobs for women and supplying female workers; to assist women in accessing credit loans for creating new jobs, developing production and business and employing female workers; to assist women in promoting products from craft villages and production and business establishments run by women.

5. To develop and build capacity for vocational training establishments under the Vietnam Women's Union:

- To develop the network of vocational training under the Vietnam Women's Union: To support investment in building a new vocational college, enhance capacity for Le Thi Rieng vocational intermediate school, upgrade three vocational intermediate schools in three regional centers (Yen Bai. Hai Duong and Dak Nong) and build five others; to consolidate and upgrade 36 vocational training and job placement centers under provincial or municipal women's unions; to form a labor training and export center under the Vietnam Women's Union;

- To increase capacity-building training for managers and teachers of vocational training centers and schools within the system of the union, to train women cadres engaged in vocational training and increase the capacity of women in overseeing and assessing vocational training policies;

- To mobilize craftsmen, technicians, engineers and skilled workers from universities, enterprises and production and business establishments to participate in vocational training for female workers;

- To build physical facilities for information on vocational training, labor and employment within the system of the union;

- To expand domestic and international cooperation with a view to proactively tapping all investment and cooperation resources for vocational training for women.

6. To supervise, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Scheme:

- To develop criteria for the monitoring and evaluation of the Scheme;

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- To report on the evaluation of the achievement of the Scheme's objectives and activities, and on the management and use of the Scheme's budgets by concerned ministries, branches and agencies.

V. IMPLEMENTATION FUNDS

Funding sources for the implementation of the Scheme will come from annual state budgets under current decentralization regulations.

1. The central budget shall ensure funds for activities carried out by the Vietnam Women's Union and ministries, branches and central agencies to implement policies, solutions and activities of the Scheme; and provide partial funds for difficulty-stricken mountainous provinces that have to receive annual grants from the central budget to balance their budgets.

2. Local budgets shall ensure funds for activities carried out by local agencies.

3. Detailed budget estimates for the implementation of the Scheme shall be elaborated annually under the State Budget Law on the basis of the Scheme approved by the Prime Minister and integrated into the Government's vocational training programs that are currently formulated and implemented.

4. To mobilize additional resources from international organizations, vocational training establishments, enterprises, individuals and communities for the implementation of the Scheme (enterprises are allowed to deduct vocational training expenses and contributions when calculating their taxable incomes under law).

VI. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Central Vietnam Women's Union shall:

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- Direct women's unions at all levels to collaborate with related departments and branches in implementing the Scheme in localities;

- Collaborate with ministries, branches and functional agencies in inspecting and monitoring the implementation of the Scheme; to periodically report to the Prime Minister on implementation results; and evaluate and review the implementation of the Scheme.

2. Ministries

a/ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Vietnam Women's Union in, guiding the planning of the network of vocational training and job introduction schools and centers within the Vietnam Women's Union;

- Coordinate with the Vietnam Women's Union in studying and supplementing activities of the Scheme, integrate them into the national target programs on employment and education and training and other related projects and schemes;

- Guide units and vocational training establishments in implementing the Scheme;

- Assume the prime responsibility for. and coordinate with the Vietnam Women's Union in. monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Scheme.

b/ The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning and Investment shall:

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- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in. guiding the financial management mechanism applicable to the Scheme; and coordinate in monitoring the implementation of the Scheme.

c/ The Ministry of Education and Training shall:

- Review and add relevant activities of the Scheme to the national target program on education and training:

- Direct its attached units to collaborate in the implementation of the Scheme; and coordinate in monitoring the implementation of the Scheme.

d/ The Ministry of Home Affairs shall:

- Coordinate in implementing relevant activities of the Scheme, especially the organization and operation model of vocational training establishments of women's unions at all levels;

- Review and add relevant activities of the Scheme to the program on cadre retraining.

e/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall coordinate in the implementation and add relevant activities of the Scheme into programs on agricultural, forestry, fishery and vocational training for rural labor.

f/ The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall coordinate in the implementation and add relevant activities of the Scheme into trade promotion and industrial extension programs.

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4. People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall approve and implement local schemes on support for women in vocational training and job creation on the basis of this Scheme and provincial socio-economic development strategies through 2020 or integrate into other schemes currently implemented in their localities; and create land and other conditions for the implementation of the Scheme.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, presidents of People's Councils and chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities shall implement this Decision.-

PRIME MINISTER




Nguyen Tan Dung