Community based training for economic empowerment

The EU-MoLISA-ILO Labour Market project funded by the European Commission launches a Community-Based Training for Economic Empowerment (CB-TREE) pilot programme. The programme promotes market oriented economic opportunities and decent employment of the rural poor, and in the process empowering local communities and reducing poverty in Ha Tinh province.

Press release | 24 April 2009

(ILO Viet Nam) - The EU-MoLISA-ILO Labour Market project funded by the European Commission launches a Community-Based Training for Economic Empowerment (CB-TREE) pilot programme. The programme promotes market oriented economic opportunities and decent employment of the rural poor, and in the process empowering local communities and reducing poverty in Ha Tinh province.

The CB-TREE pilot will run until December 2010. It is an ILO methodology targeting the underemployed, unemployed and the otherwise vulnerable and disadvantaged, providing them skills that give higher employability and better economic opportunities.

One of Vietnam’s biggest challenges as it transitions to a market economy is matching the qualifications of job seekers to meet the skills requirements of employers. There is an urgent need through partnership with public and private sector institutions to provide training to the poor that is demand driven and that will provide this labour force with the relevant skills to successfully find a job. By providing such training in relevant practical knowledge, skills and entrepreneurship capacities, CB-TREE will enable and facilitate the rural poor to become employable.

“Investing in skills development, knowledge building and training are key issues for the competitiveness of Vietnam. The quality of the human and the social capital determines the economic performance. Skills and knowledge are engines of economic growth and social development, and it is through skills and knowledge that women and men can enjoy equal access to decent work and productive employment” expressed Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, Director, ILO Office in Vietnam.

CB-TREE is an integrated strategy that supports community involvement, local institutional capacity development, market assessment and market linkages, concern for gender equality, post training support, strategic partnerships including with the private sector, and political and policy commitment for the purpose of promoting sustainable employment.

“The General Department of Vocational Training is currently in the process of submitting to the Prime Minister the Project for Vocational Training for Farmers, which aims at providing vocational training to 1 million farmers annually. The CB-TREE programme is therefore very appropriate and will contribute to the government’s effort to promote economic opportunities for the poor rural people” said Prof. Duong Duc Lan, Standing Vice Director General, General Department of Vocational Training.

“Addressing the challenge of increasing underemployment and unemployment in the rural areas in the current context of the global financial crisis is a crucial issue for the Vietnamese Government” said Mr Hans Farnhammer, Head of Economic Co-operation and Governance, Delegation of the European Commission to Vietnam, “and the CB-TREE holistic strategy and market oriented approach will support local and rural communities to become active players in the economic system”.

CB-TREE’s main government partner is MOLISA (specifically the General Department of Vocational Training). The other key partners include: DoLISA in Ha Tinh, relevant provincial organizations, the Commune Peoples Committees, as well as social partners and local communities, and all will play a critical role in the successful implementation of CB-TREE.

For further information please contact:

Ms Hoang Thi Phuong
CB-TREE Technical Assistant
ILO Office in Viet Nam
Tel. (84-4) 3747 8816 ext. 211
Email