Inmates under 18 years old are prioritized for educational and vocational training arrangements in Vietnam

Inmates under 18 years old are prioritized for educational and vocational training arrangements in Vietnam (Illustrative image)

Article 15 of Decree 133/2020/ND-CP stipulates that, based on the capabilities, educational level, health, gender of inmates, labor market, specific conditions, and the ability to cooperate with organizations and individuals, prisons organize training for common and simple jobs or conduct skill improvement courses for inmates in Vietnam; the prison cooperates with vocational education institutions or vocational training centers (which have legal status as per the law in Vietnam) to organize vocational training, skill enhancement, and apprenticeship for inmates in Vietnam.

Specifically for inmates under 18 years, inmates in the youth age range up to 30 years without a profession, inmates with a sentence of less than 05 years, and those about to complete their prison term, priority is given to vocational education and skill enhancement. Each inmate is allowed to learn only one vocation.

Additionally, the vocational training plan and curriculum for inmates in Vietnam are specified as follows:

- Based on the funding criteria, annual plan, the prison develops the vocational training plan for its unit and submits it to the Criminal Execution Management Agency under the Ministry of Public Security (for prisons managed by the Ministry of Public Security) or the Criminal Execution Management Agency under the Ministry of National Defense (for prisons managed by the Ministry of National Defense) for approval. The vocational training plan includes legal bases, training occupations, number of classes, number of inmate trainees, location of training, form of training, training level, estimated training duration, cost estimate for vocational training, and funding sources. Inmates can receive primary level training or regular training;

- Vocational training program at the primary level for inmates: The minimum training program is 300 hours with 03 learning units, including professional knowledge, practical skills, and attitude towards the learned vocation, with the execution duration from 03 months to under 01 year. The content and structure of the primary level training program must ensure scientific, systematic, and practical coherence, use consistent and understandable language, and meet the objectives of the primary level training as stipulated in Clause 1 and Point a, Clause 2, Article 4 of the 2015 Vocational Education Law, and comply with the national skills standards framework;

- Regular vocational training program for inmates: Inmates learn vocations through methods like apprenticeship, mentorship, job practice, with actual training time from 100 hours to under 300 hours and course duration up to under 03 months. The regular training program ensures that learners can perform the vocational tasks, increase labor productivity, and after the training, inmates can independently perform simple tasks, one or several parts of a profession, and have knowledge about labor safety and hygiene;

- The training program and content are appraised by the Program Appraisal Council and approved and issued by the head of the training institution.

Note: The Criminal Execution Management Agencies under the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense base on actual conditions and the labor market to stipulate the training occupations for inmates.

More details can be found in Decree 133/2020/ND-CP, which comes into force in Vietnam from December 25, 2020.

Le Vy

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