TYLA: Vocational training for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh province.

Author's name: Bui Thanh Minh

Thesis title:Vocational training for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh province.

Dissertation field: Social work

Major: Social Work Code: Pilot Training Program

Name of the postgraduate training unit: Faculty of Sociology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and scope of the thesis

Research Objective: This study aims to identify the current state of vocational training policy implementation for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh province. In comparison with the needs of ethnic minority youth, the policies and implementation conditions will be analyzed to identify the causes of the current ineffectiveness of vocational training for ethnic minority youth. Based on these limitations, the thesis recommends a model for the participation of social work as an important tool to improve the effectiveness of vocational training for ethnic minority youth.

Research subject: Vocational training for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh province.

2. Research methods used

The thesis utilized the following methods: observation, document analysis, in-depth interviews, and questionnaire surveys. Qualitative data was analyzed using Excel, and information from the questionnaires was processed using SPSS software.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- An overview of previous research studies to obtain a relatively complete and valuable source of theoretical and practical information for research on youth, ethnic minority youth, vocational training policies, vocational training for ethnic minority youth, and social work in supporting ethnic minority youth in vocational training and job searching.

- Present the theoretical basis: system of concepts, theories, research methods, and an overview of the research area.

- Analyze the current state of vocational training needs of ethnic minority youth, including an assessment of usefulness, occupations, skill levels, training facilities, and financial and social support in accessing policies and vocational training.

- This study analyzes the policies and implementation conditions of vocational training policies for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh province. Based on real-world data, the research identifies limitations and their causes through the lens of stakeholder theory and the ROCCIPI policy analysis framework.

- Under a top-down policy implementation framework, the dissertation points out the role of social work as a tool for policy advocacy and information provision to enhance the effectiveness of vocational training for ethnic minority youth. Based on the reality of social work development in Vietnam, the dissertation proposes a model of social work in supporting ethnic minority youth in vocational training and job searching.

3.2. Conclusion

Despite high societal demand and significant state resources in terms of mechanisms and finances, vocational training for ethnic minority youth has not been effectively implemented. This inefficiency is evident in the low participation rate of ethnic minority youth in vocational training. They still choose unskilled jobs to earn money immediately. Those who do participate in vocational training mainly do so because it is free, subsidized, or for other reasons, rather than because of its usefulness or future career prospects. Vocational training for rural laborers focuses on simple trades, only attracting housewives in their free time. Vocational training at vocational schools is only attractive to learners because of supportive policies. The lack of enrollment in vocational colleges due to insufficient funding is a clear example of this. This will disrupt the labor force, reduce the effectiveness of vocational training, and deprive ethnic minority youth of a crucial resource for building sustainable livelihoods, ensuring social security, and promoting the development of ethnic minority regions.

The limitations stem from both the content and implementation of vocational training policies for ethnic minority youth. It is evident that the policy has not separated the vocational training component for ethnic minority youth, but instead lumped it together with other policy components. The policy has not placed ethnic minority youth at the center of its vocational training support activities. This has led to the ineffectiveness and inappropriateness of the vocational training activities currently being implemented.

The irrational decentralization of power leads to a lack of coordination among stakeholders. The consequences of information asymmetry have resulted in unfavorable choices and unhealthy competition among training institutions and state management agencies in the field of vocational training. Competition among training schools for the number of students leads to a disregard for training quality. Institutional fragmentation among state management agencies leads to reverse processes in needs assessment, budget allocation, and training implementation. Consequently, vocational training, especially for rural laborers under Project 1956, primarily aims at disbursing budget funds rather than focusing on training effectiveness and the quality of human resources.

Based on the experience of Hoa Binh province, it is clear that there is a lack of a policy advocacy mechanism and an independent, objective institution for providing information on occupations and the labor market. This would contribute to putting policies into practice, empowering and supporting ethnic minority youth in career guidance, vocational training, job searching, and entrepreneurship. The practical need for social work involvement in this area is evident, as ethnic minority youth constitute a unique target group that social work needs to focus on, ensuring inclusive and sustainable development for ethnic minority youth in particular and ethnic minority regions in general.

  
                                                             SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:Bui Thanh Minh

Thesis title:Vocational training ethnic for minority youth in Hoa Binh province

Scientific branch of the thesis: Social Work

Major: Social work Code: Pilot Training

The name of postgraduate training institution: Faculty of Sociology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University

1. Thesis purpose and objectives

Thesis purpose:

Thesis objective: Consumption behavior in the garment sector (of urban youth)

2. Research methods

Research methods were used: Document analysis method, In-depth interview method, Focused group interview, Questionnaire method and Information processing method by, Excel, SPSS software.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. The major results

By utilizing prior literature review, this paper can obtain valuable ang thorough theoretical and practical references for the study on youth, ethnic minority youth, vocational training policies, vocational training for ethnic minority youth and the role of social work in vocational trainings and employment seeking assistance for young ethnic minority.

The presentation of theoretical framework: system of concepts, theories, research methods and study area generalization.

- Analysis of the situation of the vocational training needs of young people of ethnic areas, including utility assessment, training programs, qualifications, training facilities, financial and social support in the access to vocational training policies.

- Analysis of vocational training policies and the implementation conditions of vocational training policies for ethnic minority youth in Hoa Binh Province. From empirical data, this paper points out the limitations and its causes with the assistance of stakeholder theory and ROCCIPI policy analysis framework.

- By utilizing the top-down policy implementation analysis framework, the paper specifies the role of social work as a tool for policy advocacy and publicize important information in order to improve the effectiveness of vocational training for ethnic minority youth. From the actual development of social work in Vietnam, the paper also proposes a model of social work in facilitating ethnic minority youth (EMY) in vocational training and employment seeking.

3.2.Revisions

With a high social demand, the government has allocated a considerable amount of resources on the mechanism and finances for vocational training for EMY, however, the implementation element of those policies have not been quite effective. With very few EMY participating in vocational trainings in the past, the effectiveness of those programs are inadequate. EM still prefer common jobs that have an instant salary instead of participating in the vocational training programs. On the other hand, the one that chose to participate in the programs, tends to join the program due to its cost support, free apprenticeship or other reasons. They did not participate in the vocational training programs because of its utility, or future career orientation. Vocational trainings for new rural area workers have concentrated on simple occupations, that only attracted with housewives in their spare times. Moreover, vocational training at the facility is only appealing to those needs that supporting policies. One of the prime example of that argument is that the College system cannot find enough students due to the lack of financial support. This will weaken the balance of the labor force, reduce the effectiveness of vocational training and waste the valuable resources for EM in creating sustainable livelihoods, and, in turn, might have a negative effect on the social security and ethnic minority areas development.

The cause of the limitations comes from both the content of the policies and also the implementation element of vocational training policies for EMY participants. It is obvious that the vocational training policies does not have a specific component for EMY vocational training but it exists in many different policies. The vocational training policy has not concentrated on EMY people in the implementation process. Therefore, the ineffectiveness and inappropriateness of vocational training activities are being implemented.

Unreasonable decentralization leads to a lack of coordination among stakeholders. The consequences of information asymmetry have created adverse choices, unfair competition between vocational training facilities, and/or between government agencies related to vocational training. The competition between training facilities causes a neglected quality of training. Institutional fragmentation among government agencies caused inverse processes in the implementation of demand assessment, budget allocations and training programs. As a result, vocational training activities, especially for EMY in accordance with Project 1956, mainly focus on budget disbursement and not the effectiveness of the training programs or the quality of human resources.

With the actual situation of Hoa Binh Province, clearly, there is a lack of an independent and objective advocacy mechanism in providing career and labor market information that can contribute to the practicality of the vocational training policy. Furthermore, it might also increase the rights and support for EMY in the process of vocational training, employment seeking and start-up. The actual social demands require the participation in social assistance in vocational training due to the distinctive issues with EMY. They can ensure the inclusive and sustainable development of ethnic minority areas, and EMY particularly.