Need for high-quality human resources availability

Dong Nai is approaching a historic milestone: officially becoming the country’s seventh centrally governed city. This significant event has sparked a sense of pride and excitement among local residents, while also fueling a strong spirit of emulation and dedication to the development of the new Dong Nai City. To achieve this goal, however, a key question arises: is the local workforce ready?

In recent years, Dong Nai has prioritized the development of a high-quality workforce, particularly in alignment with the needs of industrial parks and major projects such as Long Thanh International Airport. Following the merger, the province now has greater room for growth, with additional industrial zones, industrial clusters, and expanding sectors such as trade, services, and high-tech agriculture—all of which require high-quality human resources.

Universities, colleges, and vocational training institutions across the province view this as an opportunity to redefine their roles, expand operations, update training programs, and engage more deeply in developing a highly skilled, digitally competent workforce for both the province and the country. To this end, institutional leaders have emphasized closer collaboration to share resources (facilities, faculty, training modules, and digital libraries) to enhance training effectiveness. Proposals have also been submitted to provincial authorities to establish appropriate mechanisms and structured implementation.

Amid the rapid evolution of the digital era, stronger linkages between educational institutions and businesses have become essential. This is a notable advantage for Dong Nai’s universities and colleges, given their proximity to numerous industrial parks and major enterprises, particularly FDI companies. Beyond providing internships, apprenticeships, and job fairs for students, universities and colleges are increasingly partnering with businesses in curriculum development, inviting industry experts to teach specialized modules, and collaborating in research, innovation, and technology transfer to support production.

In practice, several universities have actively engaged in research and technology transfer for enterprises, particularly in fields such as mechanical engineering, automation, and information technology. Notably, students are also involved in these activities, enabling them to strengthen both theoretical knowledge and practical skills while gaining exposure to corporate culture. This equips graduates to meet real-world demands and secure employment with  relatively competitive incomes.

To build a high-quality workforce in line with Dong Nai’s ambition of becoming a global city, greater emphasis must also be placed on international cooperation. At the same time, Dong Nai should enhance vocational training for rural workers and ethnic minority communities, linked to high-tech agriculture. It is also essential to develop and implement integrated training models connected with startup centers, innovation hubs, and major domestic and international enterprises and corporations.

In this new phase of development, where demands for high-quality human resources, international integration, and digital transformation are increasingly urgent, education and training must go one step ahead. These approaches will help establish a robust ecosystem for high-quality workforce development, enabling Dong Nai to keep pace with rapid growth and meet the development requirements in the new context.

By Hai Yen – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha