VIE/034
Bac Kan, formation et éducation professionnelle - Phase II

Le projet VIE/034 constitue la seconde phase de l’appui de la Coopération luxembourgeoise au Lycée de formation professionnelle de Bac Kan. Ce nouveau projet vise à :

• consolider les acquis de la première phase ;
• améliorer la gestion du Lycée via des activités génératrices de revenus qui participeront à assurer sa pérennité financière ; et
• offrir un programme éducatif qui réponde aux besoins du marché du travail.

L’objectif global du projet VIE/034 est de favoriser la création d’emplois et le développement des moyens de subsistance en tenant compte des opportunités économiques et du contexte socioculturel de la région du nord du Vietnam. L’objectif spécifique est quant à lui de faire du Lycée de formation professionnelle de Bac Kan une école attractive, correctement gérée et financièrement solide qui dispense un enseignement et une formation professionnels répondant aux exigences et opportunités du marché du travail de la région ainsi qu’aux attentes socioculturelles de la population locale.

Dernières nouvelles

• VIETNAM - Inauguration of the new Agro - Forestry Faculty building at Bac Kan Vocational College

  Publié le 12 Avril 2019    Par Raja CHOWDHRY   

  On 28th of February 2019, the official opening ceremony of the new agro-forestry building at Bac Kan Vocational College was held with the ribbon-cutting by Mr. Sam Schreiner, Chargé d’Affaires, Luxembourg Embassy in Laos and Mr. Pham Duy Hung, Vice – chairman of Bac Kan Provincial People’s Committee, Vietnam.

  Attending the inauguration, were the provincial agencies, international experts and national consultants, college management, Vocational College, delegation from the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency and the representative of Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Hanoi.

  The ribbon cutting ceremony of the new agro - forestry building at Bac Kan Vocational College 

   

  The agro-forestry sector is considered a key economic constituent in Bac Kan province. Vocational training attached with local advantages is seen as an effective solution to ensure the quality of vocational training courses in Bac Kan. Because the majority of labor force in the province are agro-forestry labourers, therefore it was very reasonable for the province to organize training classes in fields of farming, animal husbandry and processing agricultural and forest products. Hence the development of an agro-forestry occupations program received major attention by the management of Bac Kan Vocational College and technical and financial support of project VIE/034. Initially during the first phase of Luxembourg support to Bac Kan College the agro-forestry faculty did not receive any investment.  Starting with Phase II discernible investment both in terms of facility upgrading as well as capacity building of teachers and staff is being made. In 2018, the project continued to fund the construction of a new building for the agro-forestry faculty with the intention to provide additional facilities to satisfy an increasing demand for trainings in this trade. The investment is in line with the Master plan on socio-economic development of Bac Kan province to 2025 and BKVC Strategic Plan for Development 2016-2026.

  Construction in progress for the new agro forestry faculty building 

  In June 2018, the construction started from scratch and was completed in December 2018. The building consists of classrooms, offices, a tissue culture room, a veterinary practice room as well as a laboratory.

  

  

  The inauguration coincided with the Steering Committee Meeting of the project VIE/034, in which the project activities of the year 2018 were reviewed and evaluated, and the work plan of 2019 approved. During the meeting, the Committee defined the agro-forestry occupation and faculty as one of the key areas of support by the project and further developed by the Bac Kan Vocational College.

  Bac Kan province is located in the northeast of Viet Nam in centre of the Vietbac region, about 170 km to the north of Hanoi and about 200 km south of the border with China. The topography of Bac Kan province is complex with many valleys, hill and rocky mountains with average slope of 26°. The population of Bac Kan province is 320 000, with the main ethnic communities being Tay, Kinh and Dao. Agriculture and forestry are the main sources of livelihoods. Forest coverage is high ~70-71% compared to the country average of 39.1%. Bac Kan is one of the poorest provinces in Viet Nam (poverty rate of 36.6% compared to country average of 13.4%). It is also a recipient of the UN-REDD program.  

   

   

   

   

• VIETNAM - Bac Kan Province Delights Local Small Business Owners with Demand Driven Tourism English Programme

  Publié le 14 Septembre 2018    Par Raja CHOWDHRY    

  Located in Nam Mau commune – Ba Be district, Ba Be Lake and National Park is 70km from the center of Bac Kan province and covers more than 7,600 ha with almost half of this area is strictly protected and off the beaten track. There is a huge amount to explore there, with a vast variety of flora and fauna, as well as interesting geology and landscapes to discover. 

  

  The lake itself is actually three small lakes joined together – Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng. The area is a national preserved forest and tourist centre and a national park. It is recognised by UNESCO as a Ramsar site in Vietnam - an important wetland of the world. Located 145m above the sea level, the lake has an average depth of 20-25m and its deepest part is 35m. The lake bed is made up of limestone with millions of crags and crevasses that are ideal for a large variety of marine life - there are over a hundred of species of freshwater fish in the lakes. 

  The Ba Be National Park, home of Tay, Dao and Hmong minorities has been the most visited destination in Bac Kan province by both Vietnamese and international tourists. According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Bac Kan welcomed more than 300,000 tourists in the first 6 months of 2018, of which 10,500 were foreigners.

  

  To attract more foreign tourists by providing them with the market-driven tourism products and improve the quality of tourism services, the district government and homestay owners in Pac Ngoi & Bo Lu villages who constitute the major tourism labor force in Ba Be National Park decided to improve their tourism English skills but it seemed a big challenge when they had to travel at least 4 hours to the city back and forth on their motorcycle to attend evening classes while being busy with their family lives and family business.

  Pac Ngoi class – Working in pairs and groups simulating participation in tourism activities

  A demand-driven tourism English course has been tailored and funded to meet the needs of the local government and villagers in Ba Be to enable its learners to communicate in English and strengthen their capacity of providing tourism services of better quality.  

  The 3-month on-site training which is divided into two modules will allow 56 homestay owners and boat drivers to identify and achieve simpler goals more easily. The people’s committees of Nam Mau and Pac Ngoi villages have contributed the use of community house to facilitate the training classes 3 nights a week.

  Bo Lu class – Listening to the instructions and monitoring self-progress

  “This is a great opportunity for Ba Be tourism, especially Pac Ngoi and Bo Lu villages. We do hope that, after the course supported by the project VIE/034, our citizens will be able to communicate effectively with foreign tourists as well as be able to provide higher standard services responding to the market-oriented requirements”, said Ms. Hang – Nam Mau commune chairperson, on the launching day of the training, 23rd August 2018.

• Vietnam - Galaxy English Center, catalyst of change

  Publié le 12 Juillet 2018    Par Raja CHOWDHRY    

  With the rapid growth of English language learners in Bac Kan province, the Bac Kan Vocational College team, with encouragement and support from the Project VIE/034, incubated a new start-up enterprise -  the Galaxy English Center – which was launched in early June 2018 to serve the increasing demand for English language training among the local community. The English language program has proved to be an instant success. Thanks to the use of social media as a marketing tool, more than 20 students enrolled just 2 days after launch and the number has been increasing rapidly ever since. The learner age group ranges from 8 to 15 although there are also working adults on the waiting list. To cater for the additional demand, more teachers are being recruited.

  The English language program team is composed of people who work closely and collaboratively to serve the expanding demand for English language training within the local community. They commit to ensuring that each student reaches their desired level in English language learning.

  The high number of enrollments, 86 as of today with more than 28 on an admission waiting list, is proof of the satisfaction with the center’s services. 

  The Centre makes learning English language fun through games and most activities are designed to stimulate imagination and instill self confidence among learners. Substantial progress has been made in a short period of time as students are enjoying this interactive form of learning as it broadens their horizons and helps them to grow as a person.

  The newly established Center is still growing and is continuously being refined and improved.

   

  Monitoring the learner’s progress to ensure quality learning

  

  Nothing beats teamwork

  

  Participating in activities to increase confidence in openly speaking English

• Two Bac Kan Vocational College representatives attended a course in Turin, Italy

  Publié le 2 Mai 2018    Par Raja CHOWDHRY    

  With the support of VIE/034 project, on 16th to 21st April 2018, two representatives of Bac Kan Vocational College (BKVC) attended a course organized by the International Training Center of the International Labour Organization (ITC ILO) in Turin, Italy. The “Skills needs anticipation and matching” course is designed to provide basic knowledge to identify current and future skills needs and labour market imbalances within a broad policy framework.

  Specialists and managers from various countries and international organizations participated in this course. Mr. Long Tien Trinh and Mr. Hung Duy Pham, two Vietnamese representatives from BKVC, said this was an invaluable experience since it enabled them to engage in a multicultural environment and learn from international participants.

  Organising the working groups

  Lecturers were experts from ILO, European Training Foundation (ETF) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). There were four ninety-minute sessions every day. ITC ILO used the “Turin Learning Approach” for the course which facilitated discussions, explorations and knowledge exchange with experts and fellow participants.

  

  Listening to other groups' presentations

  During these activities, all participants were free to talk and find out more about the prevailing cultures, policies and labour markets in other countries. Furthermore, according to Mr. Hung, the course also presented the opportunity to widen their networks and connections which could potentially last well beyond the course and lead to new partnerships and collaborations.   

  Mr Hung’s presentation on anticipating the skills needed in Bac Kan

  The representatives from BKVC, Vietnam participated in the course with great enthusiasm and commitment to change. Their presentation at the endof the course was well received and very much appreciated. The training materials (see the above photo) provided by the course are now available at the BKVC library for sharing and consultation by BKVC management, faculty, and staff.

  Final presentations from various groups

   

• Vietnam - Tackling Climate Change at Bac Kan Vocational College

  Publié le 8 Décembre 2017    Par Raja CHOWDRY   

  Vietnam is ranked among the countries most affected by climate change. This, in effect, is jeopardizing the country’s sustainable development. In an effort to support Vietnam's mitigation and adaptation efforts to climate change impacts, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation is implementing its climate change adaptation flagship project – VIE/033, in the lagoon areas of Thua Thien Hue province. After initial positive results from the first phase, a second phase of this project is about to start (VIE/433) in 2018 with funding from the Luxembourg “climate finance”, under the umbrella of the Luxembourg Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure.

  Currently, Bac Kan Vocational College (BKVC) has been seeking and exploring climate change related occupations in the climate change vocational education/training context. So far, the school has initiated a solar energy program by installing and operating solar panels at the electrical faculty. Greening the campus is also an activity that will lead to better mitigate climate change by maximizing green spaces, as well as reducing the carbon footprint through water, energy and printed-paper saving.

  The visit of the LuxDev Headquarter Climate Expert, was very timely for project VIE/034 and BKVC to focus more on the current provincial climate change issues and call for action to all key players from provincial policy makers to grassroots level. 

  

  ^{The climate expert meeting Vice Chairperson, Bac Kan Provincial People's Committee}

  On 27 November 2017, the expert met and exchanged information with the provincial authorities, departments, a national climate consultant and BKVC staff. Through these working sessions and group discussions on climate change issues with the project team and other provincial stakeholders, the expert gained an overview of the current situation of climate change mitigation and adaptation activities in Bac Kan and other northern mountainous provinces.

  As stated by an officer from the Bac Kan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, though climate change impacts in Bac Kan are less severe than in the Mekong Delta or central coastal areas, the province has recently endured severe weather phenomena with an increased occurrence of flash floods and landslides.

  Moreover, with the high forest cover of 70%, including 283 000 hectares of primary forests; the province is facing issues of illegal logging, overexploitation of non-timber forest products, and resulting deforestation. The decreasing water level in main rivers and streams of the province recorded in the past few years, including Cau River, is also an emerging challenge for the province. 

  

  ^{Example of locally well-managed forests in Bac Kan province}

  Many other projects are implemented to support Bac Kan to tackle climate change issues. At this time, Bac Kan is one of the six pilot provinces in Vietnam to implement the UN-REDD initiative (REDD - Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). In addition, as a part of the UN-REDD project, the province is working on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to ensure that the timber comes from a forest that is managed in a responsible way by local people. However, most of the funding for climate activities comes from the central government and foreign organizations. “Bac Kan is a poor province; therefore, the provincial budget is prioritized for economic development activities rather than climate change mitigation and adaptation”, said the Vice Director of Bac Kan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

  At the meeting with BKVC, the LuxDev climate expert identified the needs of Bac Kan province and local communities in strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, as well as promoting sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities. His recommendations pointed towards the linking the province to central ministries in order to foster Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). This is because, in May 2017, the European Union (EU) and Vietnam formally concluded their negotiations towards a Voluntary Partnership Agreement after six years of negotiations, which will enable Vietnam to issue FLEGT licenses to products it exports to the EU. The FLEGT licenses intend to end illegal logging, which causes deforestation (which causes land erosion), loss of biodiversity, conflicts with indigenous and local populations, and assist local governments to implement sustainable forest management.

  

  For BKVC, as a human resource training centre, one suggestion is to explore ways and means to transform the Vocational College into a  provincial hub that links climate change mitigation and adaptation activities with the needs of the province and local communities.

  According to a member of the VIE/034 project management team, with the main function of vocational training and education, BKVC needs to build capacity among its teaching staff for them to deliver training on climate resilient agricultural techniques for farmers, and increase knowledge and skills on new initiatives such as FLEGT or REDD+ for community groups. Moreover, via VIE/034, which is promoting BKVC’s education programs on community tourism, or safe and organic agriculture production, the contribution to the provincial climate change mitigation and adaptation is highly appreciated by the school and local communities.

  The LuxDev climate expert’s mission to  Bac Kan has motivated the College as well as the provincial counterparts to develop further initiatives on how to approach the impact of climate change in their home province.

  

  ^{BKVC’s Tan Son safe agricultural model – A model working for sustainable livelihoods of indigenous people living around the primary fores}

• Vietnam - Bac Kan Vocational College - Partner in promoting organic farming in Bac Kan province

  Publié le 16 Novembre 2017    Par Sandrine THINNES   

  

  In recent years, Vietnamese families have increasingly opted for organic and healthy food. Aware of this trend, Bac Kan Vocational College (BKVC) embarked on a new intervention with the support of project VIE/034 to promote organic and clean agricultural production by offering training courses for the farmers of Tan Son commune in Cho Moi district. The training is aimed at guiding farmers in growing organic vegetables, applying standardized processes and measures to ensure the produce meets the standards. Besides funding the construction of a lightweight protective growing facility covering a 660m2 area to be used as a demonstration and practice site, project VIE/034 also sought professional technical support from PUM, a Senior Expert organization from the Netherlands, to help BKVC in developing and upgrading the training curricula for agricultural trades. 

  

  ^{Safe agricultural production project in Tan Son commune}

  During the PUM expert’s two-week mission from 16 to 28 October 2017, former Director of De Groene Welle Vocational Training College in the Netherlands, visited the local agricultural cooperatives, agro-forestry production models including Tan Son project, tree nurseries and safe food stores. The discussions with the teachers of BKVC Agro-Forestry faculty and the farmers provided him with sufficient insight on the agricultural sector and agricultural vocational training of Bac Kan. The director of BKVC shared that currently they are studying the feasibility of growing, on a larger scale, a special indigenous tomato variety that is currently exclusively grown by Dao ethnic people, in the effort to market this new variety. BKVC is capable of offering a specialized program for interested producers.

  

  ^{Visits to local agricultural cooperatives}

  

  ^{The director of Sa Ha cooperative introducing the local “Bo khai” vegetable (Erythropalum scandens)}

  Beside field visits, the expert also experienced local tourism to Ba Be Lake (Three Lakes) in Ba Be National Park, the largest natural fresh water lake in Viet Nam.  The expert learnt of the great potential for community based tourism which is still underexploited today. At the end of the mission, the workshop “Vocational training in association with developing safe agricultural production models in Bac Kan province” was held to present the findings and recommendations for improving training programs of the Agro-Forestry faculty. During the workshop, the participants including representatives of local authorities, farmers, cooperatives and enterprises also had a chance to listen to multiple experiences and professional consultations about how to promote organic farming in Bac Kan province, as well as how to create a value chain and build better linkages between farmers and markets. The workshop ignited an inspired and motivated discussion among the participants and signaled more aligned synergy for future development of the agricultural sector in the province. The issue of sustainable ecotourism in combination with agriculture was also raised by the expert and attracted a lot of interest.

  

  ^{The PUM expert presenting his findings and recommendations from the field trip in Bac Kan}

  “Thanks to the support from VIE/034, I had chance to attend a workshop in Moscow and learned about the Industry 4.0 in education. I realized that the Industry 4.0 will bring both opportunities and challenges for everyone, including farmers. BKVC should thus update its training programs in order to adapt to the development trends because agricultural and rural development is a main focus of Bac Kan province. As a training centre, BKVC will try its best to meet educational requirements and become a center of excellency for high quality agro-forestry education with the support from the Luxembourg development cooperation”, remarked the director of BKVC.

  The VIE/034 Project Coordinator added: “BKVC plays a key role in promoting agricultural production and organic farming in the province. In the second phase of Luxembourg’s support to the school, project VIE/034 has paid more attention to the Agro-Forestry faculty. The project has found reliable partners in the agricultural sector, including PUM from the Netherlands. I hope that contributions shared in the workshop today will be valuable in forming a relationship between PUM and BKVC and I hope that the school will strengthen its cooperation with PUM not only in agro-forestry field but also in the field of eco-tourism and other sectors”.

  As the result of the mission, the PUM expert promised that his institution will provide continued cooperation and assistance by sending more subject experts to train BKVC teachers on organic farming, plant diseases, agricultural economics, and aquaculture in combination with horticulture. Both sides will work together to plan a detailed training schedule and training program which is expected to take place in 2018.

  

  ^{Combined garden of seedless persimmon and bo khai vegetable (Erythropalum scandens)}

  

  ^{Meeting with local farmers}

• Vietnam – Record-breaking intake at Bac Kan Vocational College 257 new students enrolled for the 2016-17 academic year on Admission Day – 5 September 2016

  Publié le 22 Septembre 2016    Par Sandrine Thinnes   

  Bac Kan Vocational College (BKVC), previously known as Bac Kan Intermediate Vocational School, was funded by Luxembourg Development Cooperation under project VIE/021 from 2007-2011 and now continues to receive support for a second phase. Starting with only two departments, it currently offers a wide range of training programmes, including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, construction, agro-forestry, IT, as well as accounting and has seen increasing numbers of students over the years.

  

  Since early 2016, the BKVC Recruitment Centre kicked off a multimedia blitz advertising campaign covering Bac Kan television, newspapers and banners displayed in district schools. They organised career orientation days at almost all secondary schools in the province and visited potential students’ families in villages. Prospective students were also invited to BKVC for a campus tour, from which they had a chance to see for themselves what BKVC has to offer in terms of not only training programmes but also the living and studying environment.

  

  On 5 September, secondary school graduates and their parents from all districts in Bac Kan province gathered at BKVC campus for Admission Day. A mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement was easily discerned on those young faces who are about to part from their parents and family home for the first time in their life. Carrying backpacks or bags of various shapes and sizes, they queued in line for their turn to register. Students who already made a decision over what to study simply filled in the enrolment form, submitted and then waited to be taken to their dormitory. There are also consultation desks where dedicated faculty members gave helpful advice and guidance to still-undecided students.

  

  After finishing the paperwork, students got together in a hall for an introduction session to BKVC. The college’s Director, Mr Trinh Tien Long, provided students with information about different policies, support and conveyed a bright outlook, further solidifying their confidence in the choices they made and ensuring the time they will be spending on campus will be a rewarding experience. 

  

  Admission procedures did not cease until the end of the day. Results showed that recruitment efforts have paid off. Total number of new enrolment was reported to have reached 257 – the highest enrolment ever recorded on an admission day and more are expected to follow. The most enrolled occupations include automotive engineering, veterinary and mechanical technology. Recruitment activities will continue until the end of 2016 with support of the VIE/034 project in order to reach the target of 440 new students.