Proposed grant assistance: Socialist Republic of Viet Nam: demand-driven skills training for poverty reduction in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta (financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction)

The goal of the Project is to improve the living standard of the poor and ethnic minorities by equipping them with relevant skills for employment and self-employment. The Project aims to pilot an innovative approach to poverty reduction through demand-driven skills training, so that methodologies and implementation arrangements tested under the Project will be incorporated and replicated in the Government's National Targeted Program on Poverty Reduction, 2006-2010 and a follow-up program. The specific objectives of the Project are to (i) build capability for vocational training providers to effectively mobilize resources; and manage skills training, career guidance, placement services, business start-up assistance, and follow-up consultations; (ii) provide the beneficiaries selected from the poor with a comprehensive package of skills training for employment; and (iii) provide project management and coordination support. The Project will be implemented in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces in Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta, focusing on the poorest districts.

The performance and outputs of the Project will be monitored and evaluated with the following indicators: (i) 4,000 poor individuals from the target districts, of whom at least 2,000 are ethnic minority females (50%), will be provided with skills training; (ii) 70%-90% of the preemployment trainees (at least 35%-45% female) will find jobs; (iii) 5%-10% of the trainees (at least 2.5%-5% female) will have access to preferential credit schemes for starting up small businesses; (iv) two community enterprise training committees in two target provinces will be established and involved in the Project; and (v) 100 core trainers (including at least 50 female trainers) and 150 personnel of the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, training providers, and other stakeholders (including at least 75 females) from Soc Trang and Tra Vinh will participate in training courses for capability building.

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The goal of the Project is to improve the living standard of the poor and ethnic minorities by equipping them with relevant skills for employment and self-employment. The Project aims to pilot an innovative approach to poverty reduction through demand-driven skills training, so that methodologies and implementation arrangements tested under the Project will be incorporated and replicated in the Government's National Targeted Program on Poverty Reduction, 2006-2010 and a follow-up program. The specific objectives of the Project are to (i) build capability for vocational training ...  [+] Show more