The main purpose of this study is to explore the parental perspectives of the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Vietnam. The data were collected from 32 parents in the Northern and Southern regions using six open-ended interview questions focussing on the vocational education training system. Several techniques, namely word repetitions, keywords in context, and similarities and differences were applied to discover the common emerging themes and sub-themes. The issues which corresponded with the six questions were (1) quality and types of VET input, (2) VET teachers’ ability, (3) facilities and equipment, (4) the relationship between VET providers and industries, (5) recognition of VET qualifications and (6) job potential. The results indicated two main positive and negative themes emerging in five of the issues, the exception being the relationship between VET providers and industries. The issue of job potential was evaluated positively by parents. However, the findings indicate wastage of trained manpower due to the weak relationship between VET providers and industries. The recommendations are that Government agencies should be more involved in the VET sector by providing teaching protocols and implementing policy concerning two-way collaboration between VET providers and enterprises, making the sector more attractive to parents, students, industries and other key stakeholders with the primary aim of changing perceptions of the VET sector positively.

The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured process to gather information from a group. The technique was first described in early 1970s and has since become a widely-used standard to facilitate working groups. The NGT is effective for generating large numbers of creative new ideas and for group priority setting. This article reports on a case study carried out in Vietnam on exploring the perceptions of key stakeholders towards the vocational education training (VET) sector where the study applied the NGT. Therefore, this article has two purposes: (1) describing what NGT is and outlines how to use it; and (2) describing the case study findings by providing an analysis of data generated during a workshop led by the author. The findings of the case study indicated that the Government policy factor or the roles of Government on the VET sector are ranked as the most important force impacting upon the quality of VET programs in Vietnam. Both the established research technique used to collect data and present the findings of the case study have particular significance as they contribute to a major problem which has not been researched seriously in Vietnam in the past as has happened in many other countries. Importantly, the study provides an overview of the Vietnamese VET system which both VET experts in Vietnam and international scholars will be able to understand.

Providing genetic services to families who do not speak English and whose cultures are quite diverse presents a unique challenge to genetic specialists. One approach that is being employed successfully is the use of specially trained genetic assistants to provide outreach, case finding, referral, support, interpretation, advocacy, and follow-up counseling. A basic genetic assistant training program for five bicultural/bilingual Southeast Asian case managers is described. The course syllabus can be used to train health workers who represent a variety of cultures and languages.

An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of various key stakeholders about the current vocational education and training (VET) sector in Vietnam using three methods. The quantitative method adopted was a data gathering questionnaire aimed to measure students' perceptions of the VET sector and identify factors that impact students' intentions in enrolling and completing VET programs in Vietnam. The qualitative method was then used to explore other views about the VET sector from the students' parents using the open-ended interviews. The third approach used a nominal group technique to investigate other key stakeholders' perceptions of Vietnam's VET sector. Through triangulation, the reliable findings of the research indicated that the "real" issue impacting the VET sector was the relationship between VET providers and industries. This should be considered and researched carefully in the design of a VET curriculum. In addition, this study revealed that a web of influences was created which impacted significantly in both positive and negative ways on the students' perception of the VET sector.

Stakeholders’ perceptions towards a career in vocational education and training (VET) in Vietnam negate the country’s industrial development plan. During the last 15 years, the Vietnamese Governments investment in to the sector increased annually. However, parents and their children still pursue the goal of higher education via the mainstream rather than a career path way using the vocational education and training system. Although stereotypical views of vocational students are being challenged, Confucian ideology maintains some influence over stakeholders’ educational decisions leading to the sustained popularity of higher education. This study explores the perceptions of students on the image of and their loyalty towards vocational education and training. A sample of 300 lower secondary school, 300 upper secondary school, and 300 vocational students was drawn from across the Northern and Southern regions of Vietnam. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data and mean analysis conducted to explore the data. The findings indicate that agreement with statements about facilities and equipment, teacher’s ability, curriculum, and soft skills are the clearest indicators of enhanced perceptions about the image of vocational education and training. Encouragement from parents appears most influential to positively affecting lower secondary students’ loyalty. Unexpected was that vocational students had less interesting continuing in vocational education and training compared to lower and upper secondary school students inclination towards a career in VET. First-hand experience seemingly leads to diminished perceptions and loyalty towards vocational education.