The need to establish the district center for continuing education, vocational orientation and training in Hai Duong province

JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF HNUE Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 69-75 THE NEED TO ESTABLISH THE DISTRICT CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL ORIENTATION AND TRAINING IN HAI DUONG PROVINCE Nguyen Van Quoc Hai Duong Province Department of Education and Training E-mail: nguyenvanquoc@haiduong.edu.vn Abstract. In some districts in Hai Duong Province there currently exist three separate and independent educational establishments: The Continu- ing Education Center, the General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center and the Vocational Training Center. There is now a need to merge the three centers into a single center. This is needed because many of the tasks which the three centers perform are overlapping and are closely related to each other. The merger of the three centers would facilitate management and administration and reduce the cost of administrative operations. Also, the merger would lead to a more effective use of the facilities and the gen- eral resources of the centers. All these reasons justify the need to estab- lish a multi-functional center that would replace the three separate centers. Keyworld: Center, Continuing Education, General Techniques, Vocational Orientation, Vocational Training. 1. Introduction In some districts of Hai Duong Province there are three educational estab- lishments: a Continuing Education Center, a General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center and a Vocational Training Center. Recently, it has been sug- gested that they should be merged into one multi-functional center. The need for such a center will be determined by educational managers in Hai Duong. The question of the need to build the center needs the answer from the edu- cational managers in Hai Duong. 2. Content 2.1. The need to establish a District Center for Continuing Ed- ucation, Vocational Orientation and Training in Hai Duong 69 Nguyen Van Quoc 2.1.1. Functions and goals of the current Continuing Education Center, the General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center and the Vocational Training Center a. The Continuing Education Center According to the regulations of organization and operation of the Continuing Education Center which is described in Decision 01/2007/QD-BGDDT (2007) of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Continuing Education Center has five main tasks as follows: The first task is to implement the educational programs. The second includes determining the learning needs of people who are living in the area, identifying what it is that they need to learn, and then making recommen- dations to the local educational establishments and authorities as to the organization of the programs and teaching methods that would best benefit potential students. The third task is to organize continuing education classes at the lower and upper-secondary level for beneficiaries of social policies, the disabled and the hand- icapped as determined by the local annual plan. The fourth is to provide job skills training and practise, including work prac- tices at production facilities, and other teaching activities. The fifth task is to study and draw conclusion from the current organization and operation in order to improve the quality of the education being provided. Besides the above tasks, District Continuing Education Centers can cooperate with vocational education establishments in providing career-oriented education. b. The General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center According to the regulations on the organization and operation of the Gen- eral Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center that are attached to Decision 44/2008/QD-BGDDT (dated July 30th, 2008) of the Ministry of Education and Training, the General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center is to carry out six basic tasks: - Teach technology, techniques and general jobs skills and provide career- oriented education for secondary schools students. - Improve general techniques education and vocational guidance for teachers of lower and upper-secondary schools. - Organize production activities and technical services for education and train- ing, and help lower and upper-secondary school graduates find jobs. - Study and apply scientific topics in general technical education, vocational guidance and vocational training for secondary schools students, and test, apply and transfer new technology to benefit local socio-economic development. 70 The need to establish the district center for continuing education... - Organize vocational training classes and cooperate with other educational establishments in the national education system in providing vocational training and career-oriented education for students, young people and others when required. - The General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center is authorized to cooperate with the Continuing Education Center and the Vocational Training Cen- ters in the area, and other educational institutions, to provide continuing education, vocational orientation and training as regulated. c. The Vocational Training Center According to the Regulations of the Vocational Training Center promulgated with Decision 13/2007/QD-BLD-TB & XH (May 14th, 2007) of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vocational Training Centers have the following 13 tasks: - Train technical staff members who are directly engaged in production and services at the most basic level. - Write curriculum and textbooks for occupational training as regulated and in addition provide foreign language classes and instruction in foreign customs and laws in the vocational training courses for those who are preparing to work abroad. - Plan and carry out and enrollment plan vocational students. - Give examinations and issue certificates for basic level jobs as regulated by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. - Recruite and manage staff members in accordance with the law. - Provide free counseling on vocational studies and employment. - Implement a scientific and technical service as regulated by law. - Cooperate with businesses, organizations, individuals and families of ap- prentices to provide vocational training activities and organize visits to business establishments and probation work arrangements for students. - Organize teachers, staff members and students to take part in social activities. - Exercise a democratic openness in vocational training and the application of science and technology and finance. - Manage and use facilities and equipment. - Make reports as required by regulations. - Perform all other duties as required by law. 2.1.2. The need to establish the District Center for Continuing Educa- tion, Vocational Orientation and Training Based on the tasks of the centers mentioned above and for theoretical and practical reasons, a Center for Continuing Education, Vocational Orientation and 71 Nguyen Van Quoc Training should be founded that would replace the three separate centers. The ne- cessity for this change is shown as follows. a. The three centers have overlapping tasks which can be integrated * The three centers have responsibility for vocational orientation: At the General Techniques and Vocational Orientation center, providing career- oriented education for lower and upper-secondary school students is their basic op- eration, and that covers all of the specific tasks. The Vocational Training Center needs to provide training to lower-secondary students who can learn to function in jobs at the elementary and intermediate level. As for the Continuing Educational Center, it needs to attract lower-secondary schools graduates to the center and teach them upper-secondary school subjects and provide vocational training through co- operative programs. It also needs to provide vocational guidance to lower-secondary school students. - The three centers are to train and improve the professional skills of the students. Even the job of preparing lower and upper-secondary school teachers to teach vocational orientation can be carried out in the continuing education center. - The three centers are responsible for teaching and providing professional skills practice students at different levels. To do this, each center needs to have facilities for practice activities or it has to cooperate with other institutions to provide job skills practice. - The three centers are to carry out production activities that serve as learning activities. They are also responsible for providing moral, life skills and inclusive education to students. - The three centers are authorized to cooperate with vocational education establishments and work together to provide career-oriented education. Overall, the three centers exercise overlapping and closely-related tasks which lpoints to a need to adjust and integrate the tasks to avoid such overlapping (Chart 1). The reasoning above justifies the need to merge the three centers which would solve the overlap problem of the three centers. b. Facilitate the implementation of three important tasks: career- oriented education, upper-secondary education and vocational education These three tasks will be carried out in a single educational center instead of the three separate centers that existed previously. In this way, a new organizational structure will be formed making use of integrated leadership and previous resources (Diagram 1). c. Saving resources 72 The need to establish the district center for continuing education... Chart 1. The overlapping among the tasks of Continuing Education Center, General Techniques and Vocational Orientation Center and Vocational Training Center Diagram 1. The merger of the 3 key performances in the Center for Continuing Education, Vocational Orientation and Training * Human resources: - The merger of the three centers would reduce the number of managers and leaders and facilitate chosing who could best run the center. - A number of overlapping tasks would be integrated which would help stream- 73 Nguyen Van Quoc line the labor force and enhance the specialized and professional skills of workers thus contributing to administrative reform. - The number of accountants, cashiers, clerks, et., would also be reduced as the managing staff is streamlined. * Finance and facility resources - Promoting the effective use of infrastructure. The buildings at the Center for Continuing Education, Vocational Orientation and Training could be simultaneously used for many activities that were previously not possible in each center. For example, facilities for elementary-level job practice could also be used partially for general job training, the secondary education theory classroom could be used to teach theory in vocational education programs. - The cost to operate the multi-functional center would be lower than that to operate the three separate centers. This is because the basic construction cost to build the multiple tasks and administrative operation of the merged center would be less. Also, the streamlined staff and integrated activities would mean a cost savings. * Resources of information and time A multi-functional center would make use of information resources more ef- fectively because the functions and tasks would be integrated and closely related to each other in a united center. Within the same allotted time, the center would be able to perform multiple tasks. This is a distinct advantage of the multi-functional center. d. Facilitating high level management and implementing other re- lationships - A combined training center would be advantageous to the District People’s Committee, educational managing authorities of all levels and management, direc- tion and inspection departments. - Relationships with counterparts could be carried out with ease because ad- ministrative procedures would be reduced. This advantage would be evident regard- ing the use of resources and cooperation in education and training. 3. Conclusion Creating a District Center for Continuing Education, Vocational Orientation and Training would create improved conditions to implement educational activities, reduce costs and make use of internal and external resources to further state ad- ministrative reform and facilitate management. Therefore, the establishment of a Center for Continuing Education, Vocational Orientation and Training is appropri- ate to the development trend and would further the cause of education and training 74 The need to establish the district center for continuing education... in Hai Duong Province. REFERENCES [1] Su, N.V., 2004. Career education: Problems and solutions. Hanoi Educational Publishers. [2] Hai Duong People’s Committee., 2008. The plan for education and training de- velopment in Hai Duong until 2015, and towards 2020, together with Decision No. 996/QD-UBND dated March 25th, 2008. Hai Duong. [3] The Ministry of Education and Training., 2007. Regulations on organization and operation of continuing education centers, issued together with Decision No. 01/2007/QD-BGD-DT of November 2nd, 2007. Hanoi. [4] The Ministry of Education and Training., 2008. 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