A group of Australian alumni from Maritime College No.1 (MC1) in Hai Phong City are contributing to replicating changes in Vietnam’s vocational education and training (VET) sector to ensure graduates better meet industry needs. Their project is funded by the Australian Alumni Grants Fund (AAGF), one of the shared commitments by Australia and Vietnam under the 2024 Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Since 2017, through AAGF, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam has approved funding for 205 projects in Vietnam proposed by Australian alumni with a total value of approximately AUD 2.9 million to support priority development areas in Vietnam.
The alumni are supporting seven Northern VET colleges (six public schools and one private school) to introduce new competency-based training and assessment (CBTA), based on Australia’s world-leading model. These methods align training to workplace competency standards, while ensuring personalised and flexible learning opportunities.
Led by Ms. Vu Thi Hai Van, Chairwoman of the College Council, the group includes Do Hong Hai, Vice Principal, Trinh Ngoc Thu Ha, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Dong Phong Huyen, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics. They built their expertise in CBTA from courses organised by Aus4Skills and were inspired by three successful pilot training courses on CBTA in the logistics sector, as well as the experiences of 16 other VET colleges partnering with Aus4Skills to introduce CBTA methods.
Ms Jennie Dehn, Aus4Skills Program Director, congratulates four Australian alumni on the successful project.
In early March, the group delivered a CBTA training course for 23 participants from the seven colleges, including principals, vice principals, deans, vice deans and lecturers. The colleges included Ha Giang Engineering and Technology College, College of Industry and Trade (COIT), Waterway Transport College No 1 (WTC1), The Central College of Transport No. II, Lao Cai College, Hanoi Foreign Languages and Technology College, and Food Industrial College. The course combined practical activities and enterprise surveys, to demonstrate how CBTA is applied in practice and share lessons from MC1’s experiences with the model.
Participants during site visit at MC1 and enterprises
All participants reported that, following the course, they felt confident applying CBTA principles, processes and tools, and were eager to test implementation at their colleges with application projects developed during the course.
One participant, Quach Van Hoa, Vice Principal of Ha Giang Vocational College, shared: “The course has equipped us with valuable knowledge and lessons on applying CBTA. We were also shared with all the documents, training program templates, and assessment tools used in applying CBTA at MC1. We are very grateful for the sense of responsibility and professionalism of the MC1 Australian Alumni”.
On March 15, participants reconvened at MC1 for the post-course workshop, where Pham Thi Huyen, former Deputy Director of the Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (in charge of VET) and current Deputy Director of the Department of Home Affairs of Hai Phong City, praised Aus4Skills and the efforts of the MC1 alumni in expanding CBTA training to other colleges. She emphasised the responsibility of MC1 and Australian alumni in continuing sharing knowledge with other VET colleges.
Post-course workshop of the CBTA replication training course
Ms. Pham Thi Huyen, Deputy Director of Department of Home Affairs addressing the post-course workshop
Dao Trong Do, Director of the Formal Training Division, Department of Vocational Education and Training and Continuing Education, also praised Aus4Skills and the CBTA replication project led by the alumni for its inclusive nature: “I have attended many activities of the Aus4Skills VET Project, and I am very impressed because the Project always ensures the element of inclusion in the activities. Many disadvantaged people are invited to participate in the activities and receive support. I speak highly of the idea of conducting CBTA replication training of MC1 Australian alumni.”
Mr. Dao Trong Do – Director of the Formal Training Division, Department of Vocational Education and Training and Continuing Education, Ministry of Education and Training addressing the post-course workshop
During the post-course workshop, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation was signed between MC1 and Ha Giang Vocational College and Lao Cai Vocational College, both located in mountainous provinces with large ethnic minority populations. Representatives from both colleges participated in the course, and were inspired to continue collaborating with MC1, including in logistics training. Scholarships were also awarded to students from Ha Giang Vocational College.
Ms Jennie Dehn, Program Director of Aus4Skills, congratulated the alumni and course participants on the successful project, and noted: “Vietnam’s VET is evolving towards close industry engagement and ensured openness and flexibility. Applying CBTA will support this process.”
The determined group of Australian alumni at MC1 is just one example of how the Australian Alumni Grants Fund is supporting Australian alumni across Vietnam to lead change in their communities and workplaces and strengthen the relationship between Australia and Vietnam. Since 2017, the Australian Alumni Grants Fund has funded 205 alumni-led projects in priority development areas in Vietnam, with a total value of approximately AUD2.9 million.
Information on Aus4skills Australian Alumni Grants Fund:
- Australian alumni in Vietnam have had the opportunity to access grants for professional and community projects from the Australian Alumni Grants Fund (AAGF) since 2017.
- The AAGF provides funding for selected projects of Vietnamese alumni who have studied at Australian educational institutions to strengthen their professional knowledge and skills; contributes to make organisational changes in government agencies, private enterprises, and social organisations; and strengthens the sustainable link between Australia and Vietnam.
- Since 2017, seven funding rounds have supported Australian alumni to implement projects across Vietnam, with a total value of approximately AUD 2.9 million.
