Occupational culture – key to improving the quality of human resources
Only when labourers have “occupational culture” can their labour efficiency meet the requirements for national economic development and integration into the world.
Occupational culture in education, particularly in vocational training, is one of the indispensable factors in improving the quality of human resources.
However, how to develop occupational culture in Vietnam remains an open question, especially when most of labourers come from rural areas and there is a serious shortage of well-qualified vocational trainers.
A Japanese professor says even those Vietnamese who are considered qualified, they still lack a high sense of collective work, which often puts them at a disadvantage right in their home country.
According to Associate professor Do Minh Cuong from Vietnam National University in Hanoi, occupational culture means labourers have to behave towards their occupation in a civilized way.
Workers should be aware that all jobs are necessary for the development of society, he said, adding that Vietnam is just paying attention to developing skills and qualifications, not occupational culture.
Vietnam’s abundant supply of young labourers has attracted many foreign investors as they are intelligent, creative, hard-working, and quick responsive. Such strengths are needed to provide fresh impetus for the long-term development process.
The development of occupational culture should be based on training standards and labour values. This should be done not only at vocational training schools but also at high schools. It is crucial to build new training standards and labour values and help workers get acquainted with the living environment of an industrialised society.
It is wrong to consider cheap labour an advantage for attracting foreign investors. Facts show that Vietnamese workers are far from meeting foreign businesses’ requirements.
Many scientists argue that the development of occupational culture should be integrated into vocational training programmes.
Associate professor Cuong says it is important to train workers in both national and regional cultures so that they can fully understand the virtue of their jobs and where credit is due.
No wonder, occupational culture is a key to improving the quality of human resources.