Education holds central role in promoting green transition: Official

Phuc stressed that Vietnam’s green transition always places people at the centre by creating sustainable employment opportunities, and ensuring labourers have access to jobs in the green economy.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc chaired a ministerial discussion on April 17 within the framework of the 4th Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, which spotlighted the important role of education in bridging the skills gap in green transition.

In his opening remarks, Phuc stressed that Vietnam’s green transition always places people at the centre by creating sustainable employment opportunities, and ensuring labourers have access to jobs in the green economy.

The country has issued comprehensive policies and regulations in education to support the development of sectors and professions aligned with the circular economy, laying the foundation for developing a green workforce, he said, noting that Vietnam also prioritises the development of green sectors such as smart waste management, recycling technologies, and sustainable logistics.

Mentioning policies to develop a green workforce for the future, Phuc noted that the demand for high-quality and skilled human resources remains an urgent issue for all countries, including Vietnam, therefore the Southeast Asian nation has been focusing on practical and comprehensive actions, and promoting breakthroughs to enhance the training of high-quality human resources for the 21st century.

According to the official, as part of fundamental reforms in general education, Vietnam aims to build an open, equitable, and inclusive education system that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. Reforms are also being implemented in the management and governance of education from primary to tertiary levels, while attention has been paid to innovating training programmes and teaching methods, increasing technology application, accelerating digital transformation in education, and actively promoting international integration.

The vocational education and higher education systems are also undergoing strong development, contributing to supporting key sectors that drive the green economy, he noted, revealing that the Ministry of Education and Training has approved priority training programmes for key occupations at both the national and ASEAN levels, aiming to develop a high-quality workforce serving green innovation.

At the discussion, domestic and international delegates focused on how to identify the gap between existing occupations and skills and new ones for the green transition process; specific policies to prepare human resources for the green future; and successful cooperation models between governments, businesses and domestic and international organisations to build a green workforce.

Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, Colombian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs, stated that Colombia is developing a human investment strategy to empower people as a major driving force behind sustainable growth efforts.

Meanwhile, Valentine Uwamariya, Minister of Environment of Rwanda, stated that the green transition process will only succeed if nations pay heed to investing in people and infrastructure, and promoting cooperation with the private sector to create job opportunities in green industries./.