Technology Capacity Building for Nonprofits in Vietnam

In May, Microsoft Vietnam hosted more than 100 non-governmental organisation (NGO) representatives, including those from a number of youth-focused social enterprises in the country, at its second NGO Connection Day held in Hanoi.

“Cloud computing is changing the way NGOs work and communicate through technology networks. The second NGO Connection Day provided the participants with ample opportunities to learn from industry experts, share knowledge and discuss best practices – and the event would not have been possible if these organisations weren’t willing to share their knowledge and experience with others in the sector,” said Nguyen Thu Hue, Director of Vietnet ICT, one of the event participants.

The event was aimed at providing NGOs with deeper insights into how emerging information technology (IT) trends are shaping the future of the nonprofit sector, as well as introducing the participants to a wide array of Microsoft offerings such as Office 365®, ExchangeTM, SharePoint®, Lync® and Windows® 8 to address their operational challenges. Key topics discussed during NGO Connection Day in Hanoi included cloud computing developments, the use of social media to improve community outreach, mobility trends and Big Data.

Another highlight of NGO Connection Day was the official launch of the TechSoup Asia programme in Vietnam, which helps nonprofits in the country gain easier access to Microsoft products and other technology platforms to build their information technology (IT) capacity. At the event, the participating NGOs were provided with information about how to register.

“The challenges faced by NGOs working in Vietnam are similar to those of others around the world. The TechSoup programme will provide NGOs in Vietnam with the necessary IT resources to support the effective use of technology to address social challenges,” said Mike Yeaton, Vice President, TechSoup Asia. 

Vu Minh Tri, Country Manager of Microsoft Vietnam, said, “This NGO Connection Day event marked the official launch of TechSoup Asia in Vietnam, reinforcing our shared purpose of enabling improved access to relevant and affordable technology. Microsoft will further expand on our efforts to help NGOs and businesses alike acquire various technology resources and build technology capacity for the nonprofit sector in Vietnam.”

Source: Microsoft

UN, Vietnam youth discuss plan for volunteer resource center

Source: ThanhNien News

The United Nations Volunteers and the Vietnam Youth Union discussed Thursday a plan to set up a volunteer resource center to provide information about local and international voluntary work.

A seminar held to set up the Vietnam Volunteer Information Resource Center (VVIRC): 3-year Strategic Plan and Acting Sectors, was presided by the first secretary of the Vietnam Youth Union, Vo Van Thuong, and director of the UNV in Vietnam, Setsuko Yamazaki.

Delegates drawing up the plan focused on three key areas – Information, Action; Mechanism, Policy, Law Enforcement; and Capacity Building.

VVIRC Established this June is the cooperation between the UNV and the Vietnam Youth Union, aiming at providing the youth with comprehensive information about local and international voluntary positions.

UNV is the UN program that supports global human development by promoting volunteerism and mobilizing volunteers. 

It was created by the UN General Assembly in 1970 and has been administered since by UNDP. It is operating among growing recognition that volunteerism makes important contributions, economically and socially, to more cohesive societies by building trust and reciprocity among citizens.

Labour & Education Vietnam Earmarks $1bln for Vocational Training

The government of Vietnam will pour $1 billion into vocational training in an effort to improve workforce quality, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at the meeting with the Labor Ministry and representatives of all 64 provinces in Hanoi May 10 .

"One of the biggest challenges for Vietnam in the WTO period is low human resource quality, which affects the country's competitiveness in many fields," the Prime Minister noted, asking the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to closely coordinate with other agencies to complete and submit to the government a plan on vocational training at the next monthly cabinet meeting.

The Prime Minister also suggested five measures to boost vocational training and pledged to give around $1 billion as soft loans for laborers to learn trades. He said labor export was not a long-term solution to creating stable jobs.

Since Vietnam has joined the WTO, demand for labor, especially technicians at industrial and export processing zones is very high. This year, the country plans to attract $12 billion foreign investment and the government plans to spend 40-45% of GDP for development. However, of the 44.4 million Vietnamese laborers, only 20% are trained, Head of MoLISA Nguyen Thi Hang said.

To balance labor supply and demand, vocational training is a must, but funding for this task is too modest, Director of the Department of Labor, Ward Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province said, revealing that Nghe An had 3.1 million people, including 1.5 million of working age. However, it receives only VND2 billion ($125,000) for vocational training. Vocational training is very weak and didn't meet market needs, Minister Hang admitted, saying Vietnam lacks a labor market information and forecast system, hindering employers and trainers from meeting each other and creating an imbalance of labor supply in different areas. "In the next eight-ten years, foreign laborers, specifically Thai, will come to Vietnam. If we don't urgently train our workforce, we will be in high risk of losing the home market," Hang warned, adding that improving laborers' skills is the only way to keep the local market. Vietnam now has around 44.4 million people of working age. Of the total workforce, laborers in the State-owned sector account for 9.6%, those in the non-state-run sector made up 88.8 % and 1.6% in the foreign-invested sector. The country plans to raise the ratio of trained laborers from 20% last year to 32% by 2010, to meet the higher requirements of domestic and foreign businesses.

Labor & Education U.S Offers Disabled Vietnamese Student IT Training

The US is sponsoring a two-year Information Technology Training Program with over $380,000, providing disabled graduates the skills needed to find high-paying jobs in Vietnam's growing IT market, said the US embassy.

The program is to be run by Hanoi College of Information, with additional support from Catholic Relief Services, and will train up to 375 vision, hearing and mobility impaired students in skills that should lead to good jobs in Vietnam's information technology industry. The ongoing partnership between the United States and Vietnam is assisting the disabled, the US Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan Aloisi noted in a dedication ceremony May 11. "In recent years, the US Government has provided approximately $43 million to assist persons with disabilities in Vietnam - and these efforts will continue." Mr. Aloisi revealed, explaining this project is only one part of a broad US effort to work with Vietnamese partners in a large number of areas. Currently, an estimated 2.5 million children in Vietnam need special support, including 150,000 orphans, over one million disabled children, 16,000 street children and 23,000 child laborers. Among them, few have the opportunity to go to school. Since 1998, the Vietnamese government has implemented the Ordinance on the Protection of Handicapped People, supporting their studies and integration into the community.