Vocational Education and the Relationship of Vocational Colleges with Training Affiliates

1.2. Some basic concepts

1.2.1. Training

“According to the Vietnamese Encyclopedia, training is the process of influencing a person to make that person acquire and master knowledge, skills, techniques, etc. in a systematic way to prepare that person to adapt to life and the ability to receive a certain assignment, contribute to the development of society, maintain and develop human civilization. Training is an educational category to refer specifically to the field of vocational education, with a certain level of profession” [13]. Training is an organized activity of human society to foster and develop human qualities and abilities, playing an important role in preserving, developing and spreading human civilization.

“From the perspective of transferring professional experience, skills, techniques and knowledge, cultivating necessary moral qualities and preparing learners psychologically, training is made up of structural elements including objectives, content, programs, methods, means and forms of training organization. The process of transferring professional capacity is carried out in the joint activities of teachers and students in a defined teaching environment. From this perspective, training includes the following elements: (1) teaching activities of teachers (2) learning activities of students (3) training environment (physical environment, spiritual environment, cultural environment” [11].

Training “refers to teaching practical skills, occupations or knowledge related to a specific field, so that learners can acquire and master knowledge, skills and occupations in a systematic way to prepare them to adapt to life and be able to undertake a certain job. The concept of training is often narrower than the concept of education, training often refers to a later stage, when a person has reached a certain age, has a certain level of qualifications. There are many types of training: basic training and advanced training, professional training and vocational training, retraining, distance learning, self-training” [9, p. 18].

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In the author's opinion, training is " a purposeful, organized process of imparting knowledge, skills, and techniques in theory and practice to create the ability to successfully perform a necessary professional or social activity. Thus, training is the development of a system of knowledge, skills, and techniques for each individual so that they can perform a profession or a task in the best way. Training is carried out by specialized organizations to change people's behavior and working attitudes, making them capable of meeting professional standards and work efficiency " .

1.2.2. Management

Management is "the process of purposeful, organized impact of the management subject on the management object by applying management functions and means, aiming to most effectively use the potentials and opportunities of the organization to achieve the set goals" [1].

Management is a common activity, one can see management activities in all fields, at all times, at all levels and related to everyone. Management is a social activity originating from ancient times, when society appeared the division of labor and cooperation between individuals, coordinating to do a job to achieve a common goal. Management is not a random, arbitrary activity but it is a planned and tightly organized, scientific impact. Management represents the relationship between the subject and the object of management, in which the management subject gives orders forcing the management object to execute the orders through different management methods.

Management plays an extremely important role in the operation of every organization and individuals in that organization, "it creates unity of will in the organization between the managers and the managed; between the managed with each other" [1]. Management orients the future development of the organization through the planning function, determining the operational goals as well as the organization's operating methods, directing all efforts of the management objects to the implementation to achieve that goal.

Management plays a role in organizing, regulating, coordinating and guiding the activities of individuals, ensuring the stability and high adaptability of the organization in the ever-changing social environment. Effective management activities will help the organization maintain stability and sustainable development. Management is an essential activity in every organization, bringing many benefits to the organization in general and the members of that organization in particular. Without management activities, all actions of association and coordination in the organization become meaningless.

1.2.3. Training management

Training management is "the process of purposeful and planned impact of the management subject (including different management levels from the Board of Directors, departments, faculties to subject groups and individual lecturers) on management objects (including lecturers, students, subordinate managers and staff serving training activities) through the application of management functions and means to achieve the training goals of the school" [7, p. 28].

The tasks of training management are: Creating the most favorable environment and conditions for the teaching staff to innovate teaching methods; creating motivation and stimulating the creative working spirit of the staff and teachers participating in the training process; combining the promotion of the creativity of each staff and lecturer with the unified management of the school's management staff; building mechanisms and having appropriate policies to maximize internal resources along with taking advantage of the potential of forces outside the school; ensuring sustainable quality.

Training management also has common characteristics like management, in addition it also has its own characteristics specific to the training field:

- Training management is of the nature of "administrative - pedagogical management". The administrative nature is reflected in management according to the provisions of law, according to the rules and regulations of the training type and according to the general regulations of the training institution. The pedagogical nature shows that management must be consistent with the teaching and learning process taking place in a pedagogical environment with educational and training activities as the management object.

- Training management is a characteristic of management science, it shows the functions of management, is the purposeful impact of the management subject on the management object to organize and control activities according to certain requirements. Training management performs the functions of management including the process from "Planning -> Organizing -> Leading -> Controlling". At the same time, training management also operates according to management principles and methods.

- Training management is highly socialized, it is influenced by socio-economic conditions in each period, and at the same time needs to mobilize many social forces to participate in the education and training process.

Training management must originate from the characteristics of pedagogical labor, because the object of pedagogical labor is a human being (student) who is proactive and exists as the subject of the training process; pedagogical labor tools are specific tools, it depends on the scientific and practical level of the lecturer; the pedagogical professional level of the lecturer; the political and ethical qualities of the teacher; teaching aids.

Training management contents include many closely related issues, influencing and controlling each other, including: "training goal management, training content and program management, management of teaching activities of lecturers and learning activities of students, management of facilities, finance for teaching and learning, management of training environment, management of training activities and ensuring training quality" [1].

1.2.4. Links

Sino-Vietnamese Dictionary of Words and Phrases: “linking means to connect, tie together, and closely attach to each other”. According to the Great Vietnamese Dictionary (2005), the term linking is defined as “linking together many separate components or organizations for a certain purpose”. Depending on the type, there are internal or external links of an organization (school, business, society) in a certain economic and social context and environment.

1.2.5. Training links

“Training linkage is a cooperation between parties to organize and implement training programs to grant intermediate and college degrees, but without forming a new legal entity. Training linkage is a model in education to create learning opportunities for the whole society. Thanks to this method, many people in remote areas; many people who are busy with work, do not have time... also have the opportunity to study at a higher level. Training linkage is not a new form in the education sector and it is growing due to the increasing learning needs of individuals. Not only is there training linkage in attractive professions such as finance, accounting, foreign languages, this type of training linkage is also expanding to the technical sector, even developing rapidly in the vocational training sector” [16].

There are two types of training cooperation: "Domestic training cooperation and foreign training cooperation".

Domestic training cooperation is a form of cooperation between vocational training institutions with each other or between vocational training institutions and other enterprises and organizations that have a need for domestic training cooperation. In reality, an educational and training institution or a university can have many affiliated facilities in many remote and isolated areas. Students participating in these joint programs can study the program and receive degrees granted by schools with such affiliated facilities.

“Foreign training cooperation is an advanced form that is being applied by many schools. This form of educational cooperation is not only for the university education system but also for the postgraduate education system. Foreign training cooperation is currently organized in the following forms: First, the form of studying the entire course in Vietnam to obtain a foreign degree (or certificate); Second, studying in Vietnam and the degree is jointly granted by both parties or the program is divided into two stages: studying in Vietnam and abroad with different study durations”[13].

Training linkage has many purposes, it mobilizes all potentials of vocational education establishments and related units to train human resources.

On-site human resources for localities, businesses, other organizations and individuals in society at a more economical cost, taking advantage of all resources and advantages of the units.

Training linkage has been creating more and more learning opportunities for people with different characteristics of age, education level, and learning time on the basis of ensuring quality and efficiency, contributing to the goal of socializing vocational education. Without the form of training linkage, learners have to spend a lot of money, time, and effort to go to faraway places to study. Especially for those who are limited by age, pressure, and job requirements that do not allow, training linkage is a suitable form of learning for learners to choose.

Training linkage also creates conditions for businesses, organizations and other individuals in society to form joint ventures and partnerships with colleges, secondary schools and other establishments registered for vocational education activities to organize training for workers; organize research, production, application and technology transfer.

Training cooperation is not only aimed at solving the immediate problem of finding places to study, maximizing resources at participating units and meeting human resource needs for the labor market. Training cooperation also has a further, more strategic goal, which is to import advanced educational technology, train and develop teaching staff and contribute to the modernization of Vietnam's higher education. The practical operation of training cooperation shows that short-term and long-term goals in training cooperation are closely related. If the task of ensuring training quality and providing human resources meeting international standards is not well completed, it will be impossible to accumulate and carry out long-term tasks.

1.3. Vocational education and the relationship between vocational colleges and training affiliated institutions

1.3.1. Position and role of vocational education in the national education system

The term “vocational education” was officially used when the Law on Vocational Education was passed by the 13th National Assembly at the 8th Session and took effect from July 1, 2015. The new law replaced the previous Law on Vocational Training, which established a vocational education system in the national education system. “Vocational education is a level of the national education system that aims to train primary, intermediate, college levels and other vocational training programs for workers, meeting the direct human resource needs in production, business and services, implemented in two forms: formal training and continuing training” [6].

The general goal of vocational education is “to train human resources directly for production, business and services with vocational capacity corresponding to the training level; with ethics, health; with professional responsibility; with creativity, adaptability to the working environment in the context of international integration; ensuring improvement of productivity and labor quality; creating conditions for learners after completing the course to be able to find jobs, create jobs for themselves or study at a higher level” [6]. For each level of vocational education, there are specific goals, “training at the elementary level so that learners have the capacity to perform simple tasks of a profession; training at the intermediate level so that learners have the capacity to perform tasks of the elementary level and perform some complex tasks of the major or profession; having the ability to apply techniques and technology to work, working independently, working in groups; College-level training enables learners to be able to perform intermediate-level tasks and solve complex tasks in their major or profession; to be creative, to apply modern techniques and technology to their work, and to guide and supervise others in the group in performing their work” [6].

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, by 2020, the labor force working in the economy will be nearly 63 million people, the total number of workers of working age will be 52.8 million people; the total number of trained workers in 2020 will be about 44 million people (accounting for about 70.0% of the total number of nearly 63 million people working in the economy). Of the total trained workers, the number of workers trained in vocational training in 2020 will be about 34.4 million (equal to 78.5%); the number of workers trained through the education and training system in 2020 will be about 9.4 million (equal to 21.5%) [8].

In the current context, the process of internationalization of production and division of labor is taking place more and more deeply, besides cooperation for mutual development, competition in all activities between countries is increasingly fierce. In order to improve the capacity and position of the country, our Party and State have advocated improving the quality of human resources, this is the decisive factor for Vietnam's success in the coming time. "Opening the labor market creates labor mobility between countries, requiring countries to improve the quality of their human resources. On the other hand, workers must have high competitiveness (on the basis of improving human capital and professional capacity)" [8]. Therefore, vocational education plays an important role in developing and improving the quality of human resources in the current context to respond to economic and social development and international integration.

1.3.2. Functions and tasks of vocational training institutions

Educational institutions (schools) are places where educational processes are carried out with the task of equipping knowledge for a certain group of people, maximally implementing a law of social progress that the next generation must acquire all the social experiences that previous generations have accumulated and passed on, and at the same time must enrich those experiences.

Vocational education institutions “include vocational education centers, secondary schools, and colleges. Vocational education institutions are organized in many different forms, including: public vocational education institutions, private vocational education institutions, and foreign-invested vocational education institutions” [6].

Different vocational training institutions have different specific functions and tasks, however they all have the following common functions and tasks:

- "Organize training activities and foster vocational skills for human resources to meet the requirements of the labor market, in accordance with the labor needs of society and improve the qualifications of students.

- Develop training programs and teaching plans based on the framework program issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Organize the compilation and approval of textbooks for the trained majors and occupations based on the assessment of the Assessment Council issued by the Principal.

- Develop specific enrollment plans for each profession and training level, organize vocational enrollment and manage learners.

- Organize teaching activities of teachers and learning activities of students; Organize exams, tests, graduation recognition, and grant degrees and vocational certificates according to regulations of the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

- Organize recruitment in a transparent and fair manner; manage the school's teaching staff, officers and employees in sufficient quantity; in accordance with the profession, scale and training level according to the provisions of law. Manage lecturers and students to strictly implement all current laws of local authorities and the central government. Manage and develop the school's assets and teaching facilities in accordance with the law to meet the needs of students" [11].

1.3.3. Relationship between vocational training institutions and other organizations, agencies and units

According to the viewpoints and plans of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Party Committee of the Ministry and the General Department of Vocational Education when implementing the task of State management of

Vocational education in 2018 and the period of 2018 - 2020 clearly stated that the major goal of vocational education is "to effectively contribute to improving the quality of human resources. This is an urgent requirement of every country and nation, especially when the 4.0 revolution is taking place". Therefore, in the 8 groups of solutions proposed by the General Department in the report, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs proposed to focus on 3 basic and breakthrough issues. In which, the issue of connecting vocational education with the labor market, sustainable employment, and social security is one of the 3 most important issues. Vocational education cannot be separated from social security because it is related to employment, labor export, and retraining for the disadvantaged. To achieve that goal, it is necessary to strengthen solutions to connect with businesses, considering businesses as a subject in the training process; Closely linking vocational education with the domestic and foreign labor market is the core solution.

The general goal of vocational education is to train human resources to directly participate in production, business and service activities, so there is always a close relationship between vocational education institutions and enterprises, organizations, agencies and other units, which are closely linked and interact with each other. Vocational education must delve into the requirements and practical development demands of society to develop training content, training methods and training programs to meet the development requirements of society, meet practical needs, social needs, and meet the expectations of the Party, State and people. Through the connection between vocational education institutions and organizations, agencies and units in society to meet the requirements, contribute to training and fostering human resources, especially high-quality teams and increase labor productivity.

Currently, in the trend of industrialization and modernization, local enterprises have paid more attention to training with schools. Once the training "product" is responsible for the enterprise, the employer will no longer have to worry about finding quality human resources and spend more on retraining workers when entering the enterprise because the quality of human resources has been linked to production practices. At the same time, from this training cooperation process, enterprises will have an advantage in choosing.

In general, the training cooperation activities between vocational training institutions and enterprises can be described as follows: “The school provides basic knowledge. The enterprise is responsible for organizing practical training at the production unit and confirming the quality and practical training time of students. The enterprise's confirmation is recognized as a substitute for a practical course of the school” [18].

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