Ninh Thuận makes investment in ‘green’ labour force for renewable energy sector

Students of Ninh Thuận Vocational College practise on an on-site solar power system located at the school's yard. — VNS Photos Khánh Dương

Khánh Dương

NINH THUẬN — Hailing from the south-central province of Ninh Thuận, one of the fastest-expanding areas of renewable energy in Việt Nam, Doãn Hữu Hiệp grew up surrounded by solar panels and windmills.

He wished that one day he could stand on the top of a wind turbine or work at a local solar farm as a maintenance engineer.

Hiệp has decided to study mechatronics at the Ninh Thuận Vocational College for exactly this reason.

Hiệp said students taking renewable energy-related majors can learn theories in the class and then sharpen their skills on practical models at school and businesses.

Now Hiệp is studying for a second year at the college and is excited to have the chance to practise by visiting factories and businesses next year as a senior.

Training while studying has been a popular choice of young people in Ninh Thuận Province as many of them believe that enrolling in a three-year college course at a vocational school is the shortest route to earning a job.

Given a special mechanism by the National Assembly to develop renewable energy, Ninh Thuận Province boasts high potential for wind power, solar power and is poised to become a renewable energy hub of the country.

The goal of local authorities is to produce a highly skilled renewable energy workforce by 2030.

Ninh Thuận Vocational College is the only college of its kind in Ninh Thuận Province.

It has provided basic and advanced training for 3,000 students, in 14 majors including electrical and mechanical engineering, wind power and solar power.

A lecturer at a mechatronics class introduces the electricity system to students.

The college’s principal, Nguyễn Phan Anh Quốc, said preparing students for careers in the renewable energy sector does not always include teaching them only about solar or wind power. Even though they may receive training in automation and mechatronics, graduates can pursue careers in the renewable energy industry.

“We provide training in majors that lay the foundation for renewable energy,” he said.

“Our long-term courses are now targeted at local students within the province. In addition, we have started offering short-term training for labourers and lecturers on renewable energy in other nearby provinces, with plans to expand this programme in the future," he said.

Approximately 80 per cent of the school’s graduates secure employment, while students majoring in renewable energy have an even greater employment rate, he said.

"We use a cooperative training model and train the workforce as needed by businesses. Together, the school and businesses create the curricula, offer instruction and evaluate students,” he said.

Quốc said students will be trained so that, after graduation, they can meet skill requirements at work.

Graduates can begin working immediately at the company where they now practise, saving money on recruitment, retraining and training costs, he said.

Lecturer Ngô Thị Kim Hồng said since 2020, Ninh Thuận Vocational College lecturers have received training from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), that has equipped them with knowledge and abilities related to renewable energy.

Also thanks to the GIZ support, the school has been equipped with practical models of wind power and solar power. Thanks to the coordination between the college and local enterprises, students can visit businesses and take apprenticeship programmes.

“Many graduates are currently employed as maintenance engineers and installation workers at local wind and solar power factories. Many of them have become solar power project’s managers,” she said.

“I believe there should be more opportunities for students to gain experience in factories. While practising on models in classrooms might help them learn new skills, more practice in workplaces is necessary for them to completely comprehend labour safety. They can then close the gaps between theory and practice at that point,” she told Việt Nam News.

Preparations for a ‘green’ labour force

Principal Quốc said: “We can’t stand alone but need cooperation with other schools and enterprises. Training quality is determined by cooperation with businesses.

“We also have gaps between theories and practice. How can the gaps be closed? As technologies keep evolving, just after half a year or one year, students need to be retrained and we need new technologies assisted by enterprises,” he said.

The school, GIZ and enterprises have compiled a survey to determine what competencies are needed for students and labourers in the renewable energy sector. “We hope that it can better forecast demand for renewable energy human resources in Việt Nam,” Quốc said.

As Việt Nam aims to increase the localisation rate of renewable energy content, experts believe that training local human resources plays a key part in promoting domestic market localisation.

Project Director of the Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia under the GIZ Energy Support Programme, Vũ Chi Mai, said when renewable energy accounts for the majority of the total power diagram in Việt Nam in the future, a lot of human resources are required.

"Our current reliance on foreign specialists for the design, management and upkeep of renewable energy projects has risen the cost of producing electricity and increased our dependence on the third parties. We must invest in human resources if Việt Nam is to boost the localisation rate in the renewable energy sector," she said.

Human resource development takes time and requires cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Science and Technology, and training schools, with a roadmap of at least five years, she added.

Mai proposed that short-term human resource training programmes be implemented to fill in the capacity gaps within factories. — VNS