Vocational Training in Vietnam Offers Rosy Path to Welding Career

Vocational training in Vietnam has been a promising alternative to the traditional four-year university education. Those with this training can earn good pay and good job security.

Universities have been, for years, preferred among students and their parents in Vietnam. Many students desire to enter universities no matter what their aptitude is and whether study major is suited to them due to higher job opportunities and income. Many relate vocational schools to the blue-collar jobs that require physically hard work. Still, lately, vocational training in Vietnam has got substantial attention. The high cost of four-year universities and other drawbacks lead more and more people to consider vocation schools as an education alternative. With shorter time of commitment, lower cost, vocational welding schools have been proving to be a good alternative to traditional universities and colleges. Specially, amid high demand, improved safety equipment and pay for skilled trade workers, an increasing number of students choose trade schools as a nice place to offer promising path in welding career.

University graduates’ unemployment rate and salaries

Recent university graduates are not just having harder time looking for work but they are being less paid when they do. Following are some most current statistics on this problem that may catch your attention. 

• As per the latest report by Ministry of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam (MOLISA), in quarter 1, 2015, the number of unemployed graduates and post-graduates keeps on increasing with over 177,700 people from 74,700 – a 7.3% rise compared to quarter 4, 2014, and 9.4% higher than the same period of past year. The number of jobless college bachelors is 100,600 in quarter 1, 2015 compared to 74,700 in quarter 4, 2014.

• According to Deputy Minister of MOLISA, Doan Mau Diep, unemployment mainly falls into university graduates or post-graduates, which show that this labor category has hard time entering the labor market. While there are about 400,000 graduates per year, there exist about 170,000 jobless. This fact should be taken into consideration, and change, to some extent, some perceptions that university education is the one and only path to good career.

• According to the statistics by Ministry of Education and Training (Vietnam), during the period of 2011-2014, the number of the employed with university and college degrees has been rising over years. Still, the unemployment rate that falls into this category has been higher during that period, too.

Vocational school graduates’ employment rates and salaries

Comparatively to those taking the four-year university route, the graduates of technical vocational schools are spending less time on school and some even enjoying higher wages. That’s not all, there are those who have not finished their training at those schools but have been keenly hunted by employers.

• For long, the vocational training fee is much lower than that of universities. The students in vocational centers often enjoy fee reduction.

• Vocational schools often cooperate with tons of enterprises to raise the graduates’ employability. Many trainees have been paid 3 million VND/ month, which is obviously higher than university students during their probation.

• Recently, there is an increasing number of university students who switch their education path to vocational education, or bachelors and masters pursue the vocational training because they find that such a training helps further their career.

• Specially, ASEAN nations will agree on a common labor market in 2015. Then workers can work abroad with the attractive wages. This is also a good news for head hunter companies in Vietnam and foreign employers.

Above facts and trends work like wonder on welding. Welding skills in the world and Vietnam have been hard sought after.

As shown in the statistics by Bureau of Vocational Training (MOLISA), with the good welding skills, the welders-to-be have been topping the list of graduated trainees with highest employability (to be specific, up to 92.5%)

For those who are concerned about:
19 Important Skills for Welding Occupations

Welding can be said to be among the hottest jobs with truly high salary those days. It doesn’t take long for fresh gradates from welding training centers to be employed in local companies with the average salary of 4-5 millions dong/ month. The figure is far higher for those with welding certificates 3G-6G, especially for those skilled and working overseas. There are now available many offshore welding manpower supplies in Vietnam. Welders of 4-6G competence sent to Japan are often paid 800 USD/ month and more. As Middle East is really in need of 6G welders working in the oil and gas factories, the skilled welders can make salary negotiation with the employers.

According to Mrs. Truong Thi Phuong – Head of Department of Vabis – Hong Lam, the wage rate for welders is high those days, 6-7 millions dong per month. As per the offshore welding job posting in Japan by Lilama2 (Ba Ria – Vung Tau), the monthly pay rate for the first working year is 20-25 million dong, and higher at 30 million dong or more from the second year (exclusive of overtime pay).

As collected from job seeking websites, there have been numerous demands for welders in the construction of factory, prefab houses, skyscrapers, pipelines, and others. The salary given is commonly from 4.5 million dong to 1,000 USD reliant on the work type whether it is local jobs or exported jobs.

Vietnamese workers overseas will enjoy the really handsome salary rate equivalent to their competency and performance, especially welders properly trained and internationally certificated – for instance, DVS welding certificate authorized by IIW and tested and supplied by HwC.

Growing Demand for Welding Graduates

In recent years, the shortage of skilled workers is one of important contributors to the growing need of technical school graduates, especially those trained in such skilled trades as welding. Because manufacturing and other industries recover from the global economic recession, they encounter a shortage of skilled labor. This problem can be partly reasoned that older skilled employees are faster retiring than they are being replaced. A limited number of the young may enter the skilled trades – for example, as a welding professional, partly because high school students often consider university education as an automatic choice.

Indeed, this job demand is enormous to the extent that demand is higher than the supply. As shared by Mr. Dang Trung Dung, one lecturer of mechanical department – Cao Thang Engineering College, Ho Chi Minh city, many enterprises have, from time to time, had him introduce welders. Still, it is regrettable that there is not enough Vietnam manpower to address such big demands. Similarly, International Vocational Association Vabis – Hong Lam that is advantageous with mechanical vocational training, especially welding has failed to supplied adequate number of workers for local enterprises and export market.

As listed by Lilama2 school, this school’s welding graduates are more highly demanded. To be specific, quarter I/ 2011 witnessed 8 company requests for 250 welders; 6 companies with requests for about 150 welders were recognized in quarter II/ 2011; in quarter III/ 2011, 8 enterprises needed hire 250 welders; quarter IV/ 2011 came with 11 companies in need of employing over 400 welding workers. Since 2012, the demand for welders has been keeping high. There are lots of enterprises in demand for hundreds of welding jobs – for example, Zamil Steel Vietnam Company, Nam Kim Steel Joint Stock Company, etc.

You may be also be interested in:
Welding Skills to be Hottest ever in the Future Job Market

Rosy path to careers

Whilst vocational school, of course, isn’t for everyone, it can give a rosy path to career with less of financial risk than conventional four-year university education. The young can find themselves in a gainful and fulfilling positions in a short while when they’re willing to delve into and dedicate themselves to the skilled trade.