The Boeing Company and The Asia Foundation in Vietnam Launch Project to Prepare Young Adults for Careers in IT
Hanoi, February 19, 2019 — The Boeing Company and The Asia Foundation announce a one-year vocational training program in Hanoi and Hai Duong to provide a holistic training program focused on practical information technology skills development for disadvantaged young adults in Hanoi and Hai Duong provinces. The Asia Foundation has been working to support youth in Vietnam, particularly those from rural areas with limited work options and vulnerable to exploitation, with practical vocational training programs that provide skills advancement, career advice, and job placement services.
In partnership with The Boeing Company, the program aims to benefit up to 100 disadvantaged youth between the ages of 18-30, whose access to formal or mainstream vocational training is denied due to barriers such as poverty, lack of education, and difficult family circumstances. The disadvantaged young adults targeted by this project are some of those most vulnerable and with the greatest need: homeless and migrant youth, school dropouts, unemployed secondary school graduates, youth with disabilities, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, and victims of social issues such as domestic violence and human trafficking. The project’s long-term goal is to help break down the aforementioned barriers faced by disadvantaged, unemployed youth by providing them with in-demand skills that are in short supply in Vietnam. Ultimately, the project will provide the participating youth with much better opportunities to obtain and sustain decent and secure employment in high-demand sectors.
As part of the program, youth will undergo both technical skills training focused on graphic design, 3D-modeling, and web development or coding in addition to practical instruction in English language, financial literacy, work readiness, and on-the-job training. Upon completion of the program, youth will receive six months of follow-up guidance to help them secure permanent employment.
“Vietnam’s youth account for a significant proportion of the country’s labor force,” said Skip Boyce, president, Boeing Southeast Asia. “As a nation aiming to progress to a higher value economy, it is imperative that these young adults in Vietnam are sufficiently skilled to meet a changing labor market. Boeing’s partnership with The Asia Foundation will support Vietnam’s broader economic goals by equipping its core labor with skillsets for a career in high-growth sectors.”
Of the 1.4 million people who enter the labor market each year, only 27% of workers have received training relevant to their jobs, and only 15% have completed vocational training in a formal capacity. In light of the country context and community needs, the Government of Vietnam has put vocational skills training and boosting employment at the core of its development goals. By 2020, the government aims for trained, skilled workers to make up 55% of the labor force. Vietnam will need more viable opportunities for practical skills training to fill this ambitious goal and rising demand.
“Vietnam needs to increase the technical skills of all workers, advancing the workforce’s position in the labor value chain and keeping up with a transitioning economy. We are grateful to Boeing for joining us in this effort,” said Michael DiGregorio, The Asia Foundation’s country representative in Vietnam.
As Vietnam strives to reach its goal of achieving middle income status by 2035, The Asia Foundation works to promote and support the quality and inclusiveness of the nation’s economic growth.
The Boeing Company and The Asia Foundation will implement this program in partnership with REACH, a local non-governmental organization specializing in providing vocational training, career advice, and job placement to some of Vietnam’s most disadvantaged youth. Funding for the project is supported by The Boeing Company.
About The Boeing Company
Chicago-based Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. A top U.S. exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in 150 countries.
About REACH
Established in 2008, REACH is a local nonprofit organization that specializes in providing vocational training, career advice and job placement for Vietnam’s most disadvantaged youth. REACH provides practical training in areas including hospitality, tourism, hairdressing, nail art, sales, marketing, and web and graphic design across its centers in Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, and Hai Duong. To date, REACH has trained over 12,000 youth with a very committed staff. Over 80% of its students have been placed in a stable employment post-graduation in the services sector such as bartending, sales, and web design.
About The Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region addresses five overarching goals—strengthen governance, empower women, expand economic opportunity, increase environmental resilience, and promote regional cooperation.
Read more about the Foundation’s work.
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