Being fully aware of the importance of human resources, especially the high-calibre ones, the development of human resources over the years, and the requirements set by national construction in the new period, the 13th National Party Congress has identified a breakthrough strategy for the development of human resources, particularly the high-quality ones. This is an extremely sound, creative policy of the Party to facilitate the country’s rapid, sustainable development.

When it comes to human resources as the special strength of each country, they include educational background, professional competence, political qualities, morality, lifestyle, job skills, and heath of each individual to form up the society’s working capacity. In fact, human resources, capital, natural resources, facilities, science and technology are always in a close relationship which human resources are believed to dominate others. In other words, human resources play a decisive role in exploiting, employing, protecting, and recreating others; therefore, they are a determinant to the development of each nation. Typical examples include Japan, Israel, and Singapore which do not have rich natural resources or favourable natural conditions, but they always place emphasis on developing their human resources, particularly their high-quality ones; as a result, they have become developed countries in the world.

Clearly understanding the important role of human resources, especially the high-calibre ones, right at the 11th National Party Congress, our Party decided to formulate a breakthrough strategy for the development of human resources. Concretising the Party’s guidelines, the National Assembly of Vietnam promulgated the Labour Code of 2012, the Law on Vocational Education (2014), the Law on Education (2019), the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, and the Law on Public Employees. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister approved the Strategy for the development of Vietnam’s human resources in the period of 2011-2020 and the Master Plan for the development of Vietnam’s human resources in the period of 2011-2020. Besides, ministries, sectors, and localities have been designing, issuing, and implementing their strategies and plans for human resource development, while working towards many solutions and policies to attract, recruit, train, and develop high-quality human resources. Consequently, our country’s human resources have been consolidated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Vietnam’s workforce increased from 50.4 million in 2010 to 56.2 million in 2020. The rate of trained employees rose from 40% in 2010 to about 65% in 2020. The high-calibre human resources have been developed considerably as several sectors, such as health, mechanics, technology, and construction have reached regional and international levels.

In spite of those encouraging results, there have been shortcomings in the development of human resources in our country. The rate of untrained employees is high, while the quality of training is low. The structure of professions within the society has yet to be proper. While we are confronted with a dearth of skilled workers, good managers, and top experts, there is an abundance of manual labour. Therefore, the 13th National Party Congress has decided to build and execute a breakthrough strategy for the development of human resources, particularly the high-calibre ones, which has also seen as a new vision and thought of our Party as well as a sound policy for Vietnam’s rapid, sustainable development in the new period. To effectively realise that breakthrough strategy, it is necessary to focus on several main measures as follows.

First, concentrate on developing human resources, particularly the high-quality ones, with priority given to leadership, management, and key fields. On a national scale, we have just developed strategies and plans for human resources in general, and basically we have yet to formulate any strategy or plan for the development of high-calibre human resources. Even in the strategy for the development of Vietnam’s human resources in the period of 2011-2020, we have yet to clearly mention the quantity and quality of high-calibre human resources for the whole country in general, for each ministry, sector, and locality in particular. In other words, there has not been any foundation for designing a uniformed, synchronous policy to develop, attract, recruit, train, and effectively use high-quality human resources. Hence, at its 13th National Congress, our Party has determined to continue further promoting the development of human resources, especially the high-calibre ones; by 2025, the rate of trained employees in our country must reach 70% and high-calibre human resources shall be centred on leadership, management, and other key fields. This is a new point in the Documents of the 13th National Party Congress. In fact, our country lacks qualified business leaders and managers, economic and technical experts, and skilled workers, even in the key fields. In order to increase the effectiveness of national governance and business administration, the development of leaders and managers in the key fields is totally proper.

Second, create a fundamental, comprehensive transformation in the quality of education and training and formulate a preferential treatment policy on recruiting and employing talents as the basis for the development of human resources, particularly the high-quality ones. It can’t be denied that education and training plays a key role in developing human resources, particularly the high-calibre ones. Under that spirit, the 13th National Party Congress has advocated “achieving a breakthrough in fundamentally, comprehensively renewing education and training, developing high-quality human resources, and attracting talents.” To realise that direction, in the education process, it is necessary to bring about a huge, drastic transformation from equipping learners with knowledge into comprehensively developing their ability and qualities as well as from study at class into other forms of learning, particularly online study, social and extra-curricular activities, and scientific research. Due attention should be paid to training human resources with good morality, a sense of discipline and social and civil responsibility, good life and work skills, creativity, and a high level of foreign languages and information technology. Great value should be attached to synchronously renewing, modernising, and integrating the contents, programmes, and methods of education and training into the world. Due regard should be paid to developing high-quality vocational education facilities, aligning education and training with scientific and technological research, and establishing research centres and think tanks. At the same time, it is essential to both increase the quality of education and adopt proper polices on recruiting talents. Without any preferential treatment policy, we fail to attract talents, leading to a “brain drain.” To become talents, they have to undergo an arduous training process; therefore, there should be specific, practical, proper mechanisms and policies to attract and employ talents to the country.

Third, combine the development of human resources with scientific-technological research, transfer, application, and development. To develop and bring into play human resources, particularly the high-quality ones, it is important to foster a link between training, scientific research, production, business, and the labour market’s demands. In our country, over the years, “the development of the science-technology market has been slow, there are a few reliable, experienced intermediary organisations for connecting supply with demand, and we have yet to encourage, nurture, or develop inventions into ultimate and commercial products.” To deal with that problem, it is necessary to “continue advocating that science and technology represent a top national policy and a key motivation for developing modern productive forces, working towards a strategy to develop science and technology in accordance with the trends of the world and the country’s practical condition, and placing emphasis on synchronously developing natural science, technical science and technology, social science and humanity, and political theoretical science.”  At the same time, great weight should be added to aligning the development of human resources with scientific-technological research, transfer, application, and development. Besides, it is vital to “restructure programmes of scientific and technological research with businesses playing a central role and the Homeland construction and protection serving as the goal.” Domestic and foreign investors should be encouraged to establish high-quality universities and research centres to meet the needs of national development and bring into play human resources, especially the high-quality ones.

Fourth, arouse the aspirations for building a developed, prosperous, happy country and bring into play the cultural value and strength of the Vietnamese people in the Homeland construction and protection. This is also a new viewpoint, thought, and vision of our Party about national development in general, human resource development in particular. When it comes to the quality of human resources, it includes not only health, knowledge, and ability, but also culture and ideology. Therefore, according to the 13th National Party Congress, the development of human resources must be in line with “arousing the aspirations for building a developed, prosperous, happy country and bringing into play the cultural value and strength of the Vietnamese people in the Homeland construction and protection.” To that end, it is necessary to “focus on identifying and building the system of national values, the system of cultural values, and the Vietnamese people’s standards, preserving and developing the system of Vietnamese family values, gradually overcoming shortcomings of the Vietnamese people, building new man of Vietnam, and closely, harmoniously combining traditional values with modern values.” Due regard should be paid to “building and realising cultural standards in leadership and management, constructing healthy, democratic, united, humanistic workplace culture, pushing back bureaucracy, factionalism, opportunism, and pragmatism, and forming corporate culture.” Doing so will create a strong spiritual motivation for each Vietnamese citizen to seize the opportunity and surmount all challenges for their better future.

In summary, investment in human resources means investment in long-term, sustainable development. Therefore, the successful implementation of the breakthrough strategy for developing human resources, particularly the high-quality ones is a top priority in our country nowadays.

Sr. Col., Associate Prof. NHAM CAO THANH, PhD

Deputy Commissar of the Provincial Military Command of Lang Son