Terms of Reference Study Tour to the Philippines for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Law Reform of Vietnam 20-25 October 2013

I. Background

The revision of the 2006 Law on Vocational Training forms part of the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to further socio-economic development by promoting human resources and skills development. ILO has been requested to assist the Government in revising and updating the Law for improved governance, quality and relevance and so that it becomes more responsive to current developments in the labour market for better matching demand and supply. ILO will support the government in revising the VET law so that it becomes more market oriented, flexible and demand-driven whereby it, hopefully, will contribute to the creation of a better match between labour demand and supply and consequently support the creation of more competitive and productive enterprises that can grow and, in turn, generate more jobs. The support from ILO will directly contribute to the Country Program Outcome VNM126: Improved employability, especially for young people and women through quality vocational and entrepreneurship training.

The support will be implemented applying a tripartite approach in a coordinated effort by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). On the Government side, another key partner is the National Assembly (NA) as the legislative body in Vietnam. These will be represented by officials that will participate in the process of revising the law and in capacity building activities.

As part of ILO’s technical assistance, one of its activities would be to organize a study tour for the Vietnamese partners. The study tour will help strengthen the capacity of the officials in MOLISA, VCCI, VGCL and National Assembly in drafting the revised law, preparing decrees, guidelines and managing the processes leading to its implementation while at the same time securing and building capacity for coordination and tripartite dialogue. The study tour will take place in Manila, the Philippines, tentatively from 20 th to 25 th October 2013. The host organization in Manila is the Philippines’s TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority). TESDA is the Philippines’ key government institution providing major direction, policies and programmes on technical vocational education and training. It was well-known for its success in developing and drafting its Vocational Education and Training Law and the progressive implementation of the law. The participants can therefore learn good practices and lessons from TESDA. In addition, the participants can have a chance to meet the Legislature members and other related stakeholders to learn from their valuable experiences.

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II. Objectives

This study tour will focus on learning from the experiences of the Philippines in developing, drafting and implementing the VET law. The structure of the study tour is comprised of two components: lecturing sessions and discussions at TESDA office and visits to Legislature offices and related stakeholders (business associations, vocational training schools etc.). During this study tour, the participants will have opportunities to:

• Learn good practices and lessons from TESDA in developing, drafting and implementing the VET law;

• Learn from legislative experts in the Philippines on the rationale and need for a modified VET Law;

• Share ideas with other related stakeholders in public consultation process for the law;

• Exchange views on how to improve the capacity in the development, coordination and tripartite dialogues of the Vietnamese participants.

III. Expected Outputs

At the end of the study tour, the participants will prepare a report and action plan. The report shall contain the following:

• A comprehensive report of the study tour which includes lessons and experiences learned from TESDA, Congress and other related stakeholders in the Philippines;

• Develop an action plan as to how the participants can actively participate and share their learning from the study tour

• A list of recommendations on the modification of the articles in the draft VET Law of Viet Nam.

IV. Proposed Participants

There will be five officials participating in this study tour: 2 from MOLISA/GDVT; 1 from VCCI, 1 from VGCL and 1 from National Assembly (Committee on Culture, Education, Youth and Teenager)

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V. Budget

ILO shall bear all costs related to the proposed study tour, including travel, DSA, and incidental expenses.

No. of No. of Descriptions USD USD Day(s) Pax 1. DSA in Manila 234 5 5 5,850 2. Travel Costs 2.1 Air ticket: Hanoi-Manila-Hanoi 650 5 3,250 2.2 Terminal allowances 100 5 500 3. Miscellaneous (insurance, car rental etc.) 1200 Total 10,800

VI. Location

The study tour will be held mainly at the TESDA office in Manila, the Philippines, with several visits to offices of business associations, the legislature, and vocational training schools/centres.

VII. Tentative Dates and itinerary

The study tour is tentatively scheduled for the week starting from 20 th to 25 th October 2013 inclusive, and is proposed to be for 4 working days. Suggested itinerary/ programme is as follows:

Date Activity 20 Oct Depart Hanoi at 10.35 am/Arrive in Manila at 19.30 pm 21 Oct - Courtesy call/visit to ILO Office, meet ILO Manila Office Director/Deputy Director - Courtesy call/visit to Director General/Deputy Director General TESDA; - Meet technical officers/learning sessions with technical officers 22-23 Oct Continuation of learning meetings/discussions at TESDA 24 Oct Meeting with Legislature, employers and workers organizations 25 Oct Debriefing at ILO Office in Manila in the morning Flight out Manila at 13.05 p.m./ Arrival in Hanoi at 19.40 p.m.

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