Circular No. 03/2017/TT-BLDTBXH stipulates the procedures for developing, reviewing, and promulgating training programs; organizing the compilation, selection, review of training textbooks for intermediate and higher vocational education levels.

CIRCULAR

Provisions on the process of developing, reviewing, and promulgating programs;

    organizing the compilation, selection, and review of training textbooks for intermediate and college levels; intermediate level and higher education level

Pursuant to the Law on Vocational Education dated November 27, 2014;

Pursuant to Decree No. 14/2017/NĐ-CP dated February 17, 2017 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs;

Pursuant to Decree No. 143/2016/NĐ-CP dated October 14, 2016 of the Government stipulating conditions for investment and operation in the vocational education sector;

Pursuant to Decision No. 1982/QD-TTg dated October 18, 2016 of the Prime Minister approving the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam;

At the proposal of the Director General of the Vocational Education Department,

The Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs issues this Circular to provide provisions on the process of developing, reviewing, and promulgating programs; organizing the compilation, selection, review, approval, and use of training textbooks in intermediate and college level training; intermediate level and higher education level.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of application

This Circular provides provisions on the process of developing, reviewing, and promulgating programs; organizing the compilation, selection, review, approval, and use of training textbooks in intermediate and college level training.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to colleges, intermediate schools, and other institutions registered to operate vocational education at the intermediate level and higher education level (hereinafter referred to as "School").

Chapter II

PROCEDURE DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW AND ISSUANCE OF PROGRAMS

 FOR TRAINING AT THE INTERMEDIATE AND COLLEGE LEVELS TRAINING AT THE INTERMEDIATE AND COLLEGE LEVELS

 Article 3. Requirements for of a training program

1. The name of the field or profession in the training program must comply with the List of Fields and Professions for Level IV Intermediate and College Training issued by the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

2. The content must ensure the minimum volume of knowledge and requirements for competencies that students achieve upon graduation at the intermediate and college levels according to each field or profession.

3. The training program must specify the list and duration of each subject and module corresponding to the mode of training; theoretical study time and practical training time.

4. The content and duration of compulsory general subjects are implemented in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

5. Ensuring scientificity, systematicness, practicality, and flexibility, meeting changes in technology and labor market demands.

6. Allocation of time and sequence of subjects and modules to ensure the achievement of vocational education goals.

7. Specify minimum requirements for infrastructure, teaching staff, to implement the training program and ensure training quality.

8. Provide methods for evaluating learning outcomes and determining the level of competency achieved by students after completing each subject and module in the training program.

9. The content of the training program must be consistent with the development requirements of the field, locality, and country, and align with production and service technologies.

10. Ensure modernity and international integration, with a trend towards advanced vocational training standards in the region and globally.

11. Ensure the connection between different levels of training within the national education system.

Article 4. Cthe structure of of a training program

The structure of the training program for each field or profession is designed to include:

1. Name of the field or profession being trained;

2. Field or profession code;

3. Level of training;

4. Admissions criteria;

5. Duration of training;

6. Training objectives;

7. Duration of the course;

8. Total volume of knowledge for the entire course;

9. List and duration of subjects and modules;

10. Detailed curriculum of subjects and modules;

11. Guidelines for using the training program.

Article 5. Duration of the course and units of time in the training program in the training program

1. The duration of the course is calculated according to academic years, semesters, and weeks.

a) Duration of the course under the academic system:

For college level, the duration of the course is from 2 to 3 academic years and must ensure a minimum volume of knowledge for each field and profession, which is 60 credits..

For intermediate level, the duration of the course is from 1 to 2 academic years and must ensure a minimum volume of knowledge for each field and profession, which is 35 credits for those with a high school graduation certificate, and 50 credits for those with a junior high school graduation certificate..

Study time includes: actual study time, examination and assessment time at the end of each subject or module, review and final examination time. Actual study time refers to the time students spend listening to lectures in class, laboratory work, discussions, internships, or integrated learning between theory and practice at practical sites.

Common activity time includes: opening ceremony, closing ceremony, mid-term summary, annual summary, summer break, holidays, labor activities, and contingency time.

b) Duration of the course under the credit or module accumulation system: it is the time required for learners to accumulate the specified number of modules or credits for each specific training program.

Study time includes: actual study time, examination and assessment time at the end of each subject or module. Actual study time is calculated based on the organization of study for each subject or module. Each subject or module has a volume ranging from 2 to 6 credits depending on its structure, as designed; some special subjects or modules may have fewer than 2 or more than 6 credits.

Common activity time includes: opening ceremony, closing ceremony, mid-term summary, annual summary; summer break, holidays, labor activities, and contingency time.

c) Theoretical study time and practical, internship, and experimental time must be ensured in accordance with the following ratio for each field and profession:

For intermediate level: theoretical study accounts for 25% to 45%, practical, internship, and experimental work accounts for 55% to 75%.

For college level: theoretical study accounts for 30% to 50%, practical, internship, and experimental work accounts for 50% to 70%.

2. Units of time in the training program

Study time is calculated in hours and converted into credit units to determine the minimum volume of study for each level of training. Units of time in the training program are converted as follows:

a) One credit is defined as a minimum of 15 hours of theoretical study and 30 hours of self-study with guidance, or 30 hours of practical work, experiments, discussions, and 15 hours of self-study with guidance, or 45 hours of internship at the workplace, writing term papers, large assignments, projects, and graduation theses. Self-study and personal preparation with guidance are conditions for learners to absorb knowledge and skills but are not converted into credit hours in the program.

b) One hour of practical/integrated study is 60 minutes; one hour of theoretical study is 45 minutes.

c) A day of practical/integrated study does not exceed 8 hours; a day of theoretical study does not exceed 6 hours.

d) Each week of study does not exceed 40 hours of practical/integrated study or 30 hours of theoretical study.

đ) The duration of the course for training programs in fields and professions within the cultural arts, physical education, and sports sectors, which have special characteristics, shall be uniformly prescribed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Article 6. Training Program Development Process

The training program development process is specified as follows:

1. Preparation

a) Establishing the Steering Committee/Program Drafting Team

b) Determining the objectives of the program and the competencies that students will achieve upon graduation for the respective vocational field.

2. Developing the Training Program

a) Determining the duration, volume of knowledge, skills, and content to be included in the training program based on occupational skill standards and output criteria according to the level of the vocational field.

b) Designing the structure of the training program, determining the list of subjects, modules, time, and allocation of time for implementation.

c) Designing detailed outlines for each subject and module according to the established training program, requirements, and methods for assessing student learning outcomes.

d) Organizing the drafting of the training program and detailed programs for each subject and module (Annexes 1, 2, and 3 attached to this Circular).

đ) Preparing a diagram of the relationship and progression of subjects and modules to ensure logical coherence with cognitive and pedagogical sequences. (Annex 4 attached to this Circular).

e) Organizing expert workshops to gather opinions from experts, lecturers, managers, scientists, and labor users regarding the training program.

g) Finalizing the draft training program based on feedback from experts.

3. Refining the Draft Training Program

a) Soliciting opinions from teachers and lecturers in the same vocational field to supplement and perfect the draft training program.

b) Organizing an Expert Workshop (including representatives of business experts, managers, researchers, and lecturers/teachers from vocational education institutions).

c) Finalizing the draft training program based on the feedback received.

4. Conducting a Review of the Training Program.

5. Approving and Issuing the Training Program.

Article 7. Training Program Review Process

1. Establishing the Review Board.

The Review Board is established by the Rector's decision, and the Review Board is responsible for studying materials and preparing comments and evaluations of the draft training program.

2. Conducting the Review.

The Steering Committee/Program Drafting Team is responsible for reporting the results of the program drafting to the Review Board for discussion and evaluation of the draft training program.

The Chairman of the Review Board concludes on the quality of the reviewed training program.

3. The Chairman of the Review Board reports the review results to the Rector for consideration and issuance of the training program.

Article 8. Issuance of a training program

The Rectors of schools base their decisions to issue the training programs for intermediate and higher vocational levels on the Review Board's assessment results, serving as the basis for registering vocational education activities and organizing training as prescribed.

Article 9. Updating and Evaluation of a training program

1. At least once every three years, the Rectors of schools establish specialized committees to re-evaluate issued training programs to update and supplement changes in state regulations, new advancements in science and technology within the vocational fields; related research results, changes in subjects, modules, or specialized content to align with practical production, business, and service market demands.

2. Amendments, updates, and supplements to the training program contents are carried out according to the steps stipulated in Articles 6 and 7 of this Circular or through simplified procedures, depending on the extent of amendments, updates, adjustments, and decided by the Rector.

3. The Rectors of schools issue the amended, updated, and supplemented training programs based on the recommendations of the specialized committee after the training program has been finalized.

Article 10. Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team

1. The Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team for each profession and trade shall be established by the School Principal to carry out the task of building intermediate and college level training programs for each profession and trade.

2. The Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team consists of the chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary member, and other members; the number and criteria for members shall be decided by the School Principal.

3. Members of the Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team must have a bachelor's degree or higher, understand and have experience in program development; have direct teaching experience or production, business, management activities in the relevant field of the profession and trade to be developed.

4. The Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team is responsible for the content and quality of the assigned training program according to regulations on program development.

Article 11. Training Program Review Council

1. The Training Program Review Council shall be established by the decision of the School Principal.

2. The Review Council has the responsibility to provide professional advice to assist the School Principal in reviewing training programs; to comment, evaluate, and be responsible for the quality of the training program.

          3. The composition of the Review Council includes educators, vocational education managers, scientific and technical staff from enterprises, and does not include members of the Program Development Board/Training Program Compilation Team. The Review Council must have at least one-third of its members being educators currently teaching at the corresponding training level and profession and trade..

4. The Review Council must consist of at least seven people including the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary Member, and other members; among which there must be at least two opposing members from another educational institution and a representative from the state management agency for vocational education.

5. Criteria for Review Council members

a) Must have a bachelor's degree or higher.

b) Must have at least five years of teaching or production, business, management experience in the relevant field of the profession and trade to be reviewed.

c) Schools are encouraged to invite reputable teachers and lecturers from foreign educational institutions to participate in the Review Council.

6. Reviewing the Training Program

a) The Review Council operates under the leadership of the Chairperson; meetings of the Review Council must ensure the presence of at least two-thirds of the total number of Review Council members.

b) The Review Council bases its analysis and evaluation of the training program on regulations regarding the training program, training objectives, requirements, and output standards of the profession and trade. The Chairperson's conclusion of the Review Council is based on the evaluation opinions and voting results of the Review Council members.

c) The Chairperson of the Review Council concludes clearly about the program in three levels: the training program is approved without revision; approved but requires revision and supplementation, specifying the main contents that need revision and supplementation; the program is not approved and specifies the reasons for non-approval.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATION OF COMPILE, SELECT, REVIEW, APPROVE AND USE TEXTBOOKS TRAINING

Article 12. Requirements for Training Textbooks

1. Adhere to the objectives and contents of subjects and modules in the training program.

2. Ensure accuracy, systematicity, pedagogical quality; ensure balance and appropriateness between specialized contents and illustrations, drawings, diagrams.

3. The knowledge and skills must meet the objectives of each chapter and lesson within each subject and module.

4. Each chapter and lesson of the training textbook must include questions and exercises; each textbook must have a list of reference materials; reference materials must be reliable and have clear sources.

5. Present concisely, simply, and clearly; use common and consistent professional terminology; illustrations, drawings, and diagrams must clarify knowledge and skills.

6. Ensure compatibility with teaching equipment, learning materials, and other teaching aids.

Article 13. CStructure of the training textbook serving in active duty;

1. General information about the training textbook;

2. Subject code, module code; position, nature, significance, and role; objectives of the subject and module textbooks;

3. Contents of the subject and module textbooks (including: knowledge, skills, self-management abilities and responsibilities necessary to perform tasks and jobs; procedures and methods to carry out tasks and jobs; drawings, exercises, key points to remember);

4. Requirements for evaluating learning outcomes at the end of each chapter, lesson, and subject/module.

Article 14. Compilation of training textbooks serving in active duty;

1. Designing the structure of the training textbook

a) Determine the objectives of each chapter and lesson within the subject and module.

b) Determine core knowledge, characteristics; structure, types of questions, exercises/products to form skills to achieve the objectives of each chapter and lesson within the subject and module.

c) Seek expert opinions to unify the structure of the training textbook.

d) Summarize and complete the content on the structure of the training textbook.

2. Compiling the training textbook

a) Study the training program of the profession, detailed subject and module programs.

b) Collect and refer to related materials.

c) Compile the detailed content of the training textbook ((See Appendix 05 attached to this Circular).

d) Seek expert opinions on each content of the training textbook.

đ) Summarize feedback, perfect the training textbook.

3. Organize expert seminars on the training textbook.

4. Revise, edit, and finalize the draft training textbook.

5. Review and issue the training textbook.

Article 15Selection of training textbooks serving in active duty;

Training textbooks compiled by other domestic or foreign schools that are suitable for the training program, level, and field of profession can be selected, organized for review and approval for use.

Article 16Review and Approval and Use of Training Textbooks

1. Review Board for Training Textbooks

a) The Review Board for Training Textbooks is established by the Rector's decision to undertake the task of reviewing textbooks for each profession at each training level.

b) The Review Board for Training Textbooks has the responsibility to assist the Rector in assessing and reviewing textbooks; they are responsible for the quality of the textbooks. Report the review results for the Rector's consideration, serving as the basis for approval and use.

c) The Review Board for Training Textbooks consists of: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Members who are teachers, lecturers, experts, and experienced managers in the training profession. The criteria for members of the Review Board are those who hold a bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant profession; have at least five years of experience in teaching and compiling textbooks; have credibility in production, business, and management in the training profession's field.

2. Organization of Review and Approval of Training Textbooks

a) The Review Board operates under the chairmanship of the Chairman.

b) Review Board meetings must have at least two-thirds of the total number of members, including the Chairman and Secretary.

c) The compilation team reports on the results of compiling the training textbook.

d) The Review Board assesses and evaluates the draft textbook; the Chairman concludes on the quality of the training textbook.

đ) Perfect the training textbook according to the Review Board's feedback.

e) Report the final review results of the training textbook, after completing it according to the Review Board's opinion, for the Rector's decision to approve and put into use.

PART IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 17Responsibilities of the Ministry Article 1. Name and Code of the Standard

1. Lead and coordinate with Ministries, sectors, localities to direct schools to organize the development, review, and issuance of programs; organize the compilation, selection, and review of intermediate and college-level vocational training textbooks.

2. Inspect and supervise the organization of developing, reviewing, and issuing training programs and textbooks; the application of intermediate and college-level vocational training programs and textbooks in teaching and learning in schools.

Article 18Responsibilities of Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, agencies under the Government, political-social organizations and cities directly under the Central Government Provincial People's Committees1. Coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to direct and create conditions for subordinate schools to implement regulations on the development, review, and issuance of intermediate and college-level vocational training programs and textbooks.

2. Inspect and supervise the use of training programs in teaching and learning plans at schools, updating, revising, and supplementing training programs and textbooks to suit the development of science, technology, and labor markets at the ministry, sector, and local levels.

1. This Circular takes effect from April 14, 2017.

Article 19. Effectiveness

2. Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, agencies under the Government, People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities, political-social organizations, the Vocational Education Administration, Departments of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, colleges, secondary vocational schools, and other institutions registered for intermediate and college-level vocational education activities are responsible for implementing this Circular./.

2. The ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, provincial people's committees under the central government, political-social organizations, the General Department of Vocational Education, departments of labor, invalids and social affairs, college schools, intermediate schools, and other entities registered to operate vocational education at the intermediate level and college level shall be responsible for implementing this Circular./.