Joint Circular No. 43/2012/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH stipulates the contents and funding levels for vocational skill competitions at various levels.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Regulations on the Content and Budget for Skill Competitions at Various Levels

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Pursuant to Decree No. 118/2008/NĐ-CP dated November 27, 2008, of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

Pursuant to Decree No. 186/2007/NĐ-CP dated December 25, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs;

Pursuant to Decree No. 60/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2003 of the Government guiding the implementation of the Law on State Budget;

The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs hereby issue this Joint Circular regulating the content and budget for skill competitions at various levels.

Section 1

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope and Applicability

1. Scope of Application: This Circular applies to activities related to organizing skill competitions at the grassroots level, national level, participating in ASEAN and World skill competitions (hereinafter referred to as skill competitions), including:

a) Grassroots-level skill competitions organized by ministries, sectors, and localities to select contestants for national-level skill competitions.

b) National-level skill competitions organized every two years by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, aimed at improving vocational training quality and skills of workers, and selecting outstanding contestants for the national team to participate in ASEAN and World skill competitions.

c) ASEAN skill competitions organized every two years by member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in even-numbered years.

d) World skill competitions organized every two years by the WorldSkills International organization (WSI) in odd-numbered years.

2. Applicability: This Circular applies to agencies, units, organizations, and individuals using state budget funds for implementing skill competition activities.

Article 2. Sources of Funds

1. Funding for organizing grassroots-level skill competitions shall be allocated from the state budget within the annual budget estimates of ministries, sectors, and localities according to the division of responsibilities under the Law on State Budget.

2. Funding for organizing national-level skill competitions, participating in ASEAN skill competitions, attending World skill competitions, hosting ASEAN skill competitions, and training contestants for ASEAN and World skill competitions shall be guaranteed from the state budget within the annual budget estimate of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

3. Agencies and units organizing skill competitions at various levels may use funding from other legitimate sources to support and increase the budget for skill competition activities.

Section 2

CONTENT AND BUDGET FOR SKILL COMPETITION ACTIVITIES

Article 3. General Content and Budget for Skill Competition Activities

1. Expenses for organizing summary conferences, opening and closing ceremonies, seminars, group sessions, press conferences, and domestic and international activities serving the organization of skill competitions shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC dated July 6, 2010, which stipulates the travel expenses and conference organization costs for state agencies and public institutions (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC) and Circular No. 01/2010/TT-BTC dated January 6, 2010, issued by the Ministry of Finance, which stipulates the reception expenses for foreign guests visiting Vietnam, international conference and seminar organization expenses in Vietnam, and domestic reception expenses (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 01/2010/TT-BTC).

2. Expenses for purchasing raw materials, goods, and services related to skill competitions and training the national team shall be implemented according to the economic and technical standards of each profession determined by the head of the skill competition organizing committee and the purchase price based on legal receipts and invoices.

3. Expenses for purchasing equipment, machinery, and tools when necessary shall be decided by the head of the competition organizing committee. Procurement shall be carried out in accordance with current regulations on government procurement of assets funded by the state budget.

4. Renting venues, grounds, machinery, equipment, tools, and related services such as transportation, dismantling, loading and unloading, installation, troubleshooting, packaging, cargo consolidation sites, safety inspections, and other services for skill competitions (if applicable). The budget shall be based on approved estimates, contracts, invoices, and other legal documents. The head of the national skill competition organizing committee shall decide on rental items suitable for the scale and nature of the competition, ensuring economy and efficiency.

5. Printing, duplicating documents, purchasing office supplies, badges, signs, pins, certificates of merit, certificates of participation, frames, commemorative flags, invitation letters, express delivery, and other related items (if applicable). The budget shall be based on contracts, invoices, and other legal expense documents.

6. Overtime expenses during the days of skill competition activities (if applicable) shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of Joint Circular No. 08/2005/TTLT-BNV-BTC dated January 5, 2005, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, guiding the implementation of night shift and overtime pay for civil servants, officials, and employees.

7. Expenses for information dissemination and promotion of skill competitions such as photography, videography, promotional materials, television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, writing articles for newspapers and media outlets, compiling competition yearbooks, banners, slogans, posters, and billboards (if applicable) shall be based on approved estimates. The budget shall be based on contracts, invoices, and other legal expense documents.

8. Expenses for planning, monitoring, examination rules, drafting outlines, and programs. The maximum budget for reports approved is 1,000,000 VND/report. Expenses for soliciting opinions on examination rules and plans are 500,000 VND/opinion in written form (maximum 3 opinions/rule, plan).

9. Translation and interpretation expenses for ASEAN and World competition materials shall be applied according to the budget provisions of Circular No. 01/2010/TT-BTC.

10. Other incidental expenses arising from practical needs to serve the organization or preparation for skill competitions (if applicable) shall be decided by the head of the national skill competition organizing committee. The budget shall be based on contracts, invoices, and other legal expense documents, ensuring economy and efficiency.

Article 4. Content and Special Expenditure Levels for National Skills Competition

1. Honorarium expenditure:

a) Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the National Skills Competition, President, Vice Presidents of the National Examination Council, Head of the General Secretariat Sub-committee, Head of each Trade Examining Board: maximum expenditure level of 200,000 VND/day/person.

b) Members of the Organizing Committee and sub-committees assisting the Organizing Committee of the National Skills Competition and the National Examination Council, members of the Secretariat Sub-committee: 150,000 VND/day/person.

c) Expenditure for teachers, experts; invigilators; inspectors and supervisors during the training and competition period: maximum expenditure level of 120,000 VND/day/person.

d) Expenditure for medical staff, technical personnel, service staff, drivers, security guards and other individuals directly involved in organizing the competition (the number of participants is decided by the Head of the National Skills Competition Organizing Committee): maximum expenditure level of 100,000 VND/day/person.

2. Expenditure for exam preparation:

a) Expenditure for constructing and compiling exam questions is calculated based on modules, including guidance for evaluation, grading, and scoring scales but not exceeding 5 modules/question/trade. Maximum expenditure level of 1,000,000 VND/module/question/trade;

b) Expenditure for obtaining comments from independent experts in writing for one question paper. Maximum expenditure level of 500,000 VND/per written comment/question paper and not more than three times participation for each question paper;

c) Expenditure for members of the Exam Review Council (not exceeding three times/question paper). Maximum expenditure level of 150,000 VND/person/session.

3. Expenditure for hiring drawing of diagrams (AutoCAD) to illustrate exam questions, paid according to actual costs decided by the Head of the National Skills Competition Organizing Committee but not exceeding 1,000,000 VND/question paper.

4. Printing, packaging, sealing of exam papers according to the number of papers used, maximum expenditure level of 30,000 VND/per exam paper.

5. Expenditure for marking exams, reviewing results, and compiling reports:

- Expenditure for marking exams for each trade: maximum expenditure level of 35,000 VND/module/candidate/marker, but not exceeding seven people/Judging Board;

- Expenditure for members participating in reviewing exam results and awarding prizes. Maximum expenditure level of 100,000 VND/person/session;

- Expenditure for compiling and reporting on the examination results, maximum expenditure not exceeding 400,000 VND/trade.

Article 5. Content and Special Expenditure Levels for Base-Level Skills Competitions

Based on the expenditure contents and levels specified for the National Skills Competition, Heads of Ministries, sectors, localities, and grassroots units shall specify the expenditure contents and levels for base-level skills competitions according to the scale of the competition and the financial capacity of the unit, but not exceeding the expenditure levels specified for national-level skills competitions.

Article 6. Content and Special Expenditure Levels for ASEAN and World Skills Competitions

1. Expenditure for organizing national team training:

a) The duration of national team training for ASEAN and World Skills Competitions is determined by the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs in accordance with each trade.

b) Support for food, accommodation, travel expenses for departure and return, honorarium during the training period for candidates, lecturers, and experts directly guiding the training throughout the training period. The expenditure level is implemented according to Circular No. 139/2010/TT-BTC dated September 21, 2010, issued by the Ministry of Finance regarding the establishment of budgets, management, and utilization of state budget funds for cadre training and development work, and Circular No. 97/2010/TT-BTC.

c) Expenditure for constructing exam questions to participate in ASEAN and World Skills Competitions. The content and expenditure levels are implemented according to Joint Circular No. 49/2007/TTLT/BTC-BGD&ĐT dated May 18, 2007, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training guiding the content, expenditure levels, financial management procedures for building test banks, organizing general examinations, preparing for international and regional Olympiad competitions, and any subsequent amendments and supplements.

2. Expenditure for conferences, seminars, and meetings abroad: Based on the regulations of each ASEAN and World Skills Competition, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs sends delegations to attend as required by the competition as follows:

2.1. Sending delegations to attend preparatory meetings at the host country before the competition:

a) First Meeting of the Organizing Committee: Based on the invitation letter, up to five people can be sent to attend the meeting organized in the host country to prepare for the competition organization.

b) First Technical Committee Meeting (preparation week for the competition): Send delegations to attend the first Technical Committee Meeting in the host country for the competition, consisting of the following components:

- For ASEAN Skills Competition: One Head Delegate as the official representative; one Technical Delegate responsible for technical matters; one Assistant Technical Delegate; a maximum of two technical experts per trade and interpreter for the technical expert. The number of interpreters sent to the delegation depends on the number of technical experts requiring interpretation and is decided by the Head of the National Skills Competition Organizing Committee.

- For World Skills Competition: One Head Delegate as the official representative; one Technical Delegate responsible for technical matters; one Assistant Technical Delegate; based on the competition regulations, a maximum of one technical expert per trade and interpreter for the technical expert. The number of interpreters sent to the delegation depends on the number of technical experts requiring interpretation and is decided by the Head of the National Skills Competition Organizing Committee.

- Other components attending the first Technical Committee Meeting of the ASEAN and World Skills Competition are decided by the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

2.2. Participating in ASEAN and World Skills Competitions:

a) Components participating according to the regulations of the ASEAN and World Skills Competitions.

b) Based on the practical requirements of each trade participating, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs decides on a reasonable number of interpreters ensuring suitability with the duration of the competition and the language proficiency of the participants, but not exceeding one interpreter per trade.

2. 3. Attendance at other conferences, seminars (if any) held during the competition period abroad and directly related to the competition. The number of attendees is decided by the Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs. The content and expenditure for the overseas delegation shall be implemented according to the provisions set forth in Circular No. 91/2005/TT-BTC dated October 18, 2005, of the Ministry of Finance on the working expense system for state officials going on short-term missions abroad funded by the State budget. In cases where the host country proposes or provides packages of funds for food, accommodation, and travel (if any), the expenditure will be based on the actual proposals and such packages.

3. Expenditure for preparatory work before departure and organization of welcoming the delegation back to the country:

a) Technical team meetings and delegation meetings before departure and after return: each meeting shall not exceed one day. The content and expenditure shall be carried out according to the provisions stipulated in Clause 1, Article 3 of this Circular.

b) Concentration of the delegation before departure shall not exceed four days: the time for concentration shall be supported with meal and accommodation expenses according to the level of expenditure during the training period as stipulated in Point b, Clause 1, Article 6 of this Circular.

c) Uniforms for the delegation participating in ASEAN or world skill competitions: - Each participant in the delegation shall be allocated one uniform/person. The maximum expenditure is 1,200,000 VND/person. - In addition to uniforms, contestants shall be allocated two sets of personal protective equipment. The maximum expenditure is 600,000 VND/contestant. In cases where certain special occupations require specific uniforms and personal protective equipment according to the competition regulations, the Competition Organizing Committee Chairperson may decide to provide additional support, up to a maximum of 500,000 VND/contestant.

d) Other incidental expenditures: medicines, gifts, medical supplies (if any). The expenditure shall be determined based on actual occurrences by the Chairperson of the National Skill Competition Organizing Committee.

Article 7. Reward Expenditure

1. The level of prize money for contestants winning awards at skill competitions at various levels shall be implemented according to Decision No. 158/2002/QD-TTg dated November 15, 2002, of the Prime Minister regarding the reward system for students and trainees who win awards in student and trainee excellence contests, national and international Olympiads, national and international vocational skills contests, and supplementary amendments (if any).

2. Expenditure for rewarding teachers, experts, or groups of experts directly coaching contestants who win awards:

a) For World Skills and ASEAN Skills Competitions: The amount of monetary reward shall be 50% of the contestant's prize money, which the teacher or expert directly coached, and can only be enjoyed once according to the highest award level, which is 50% of the contestant's prize money as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article.

b) For National Skills Competitions: The amount of monetary reward for teachers, experts, or groups of experts directly coaching contestants who win awards is as follows:

- First Prize: 1,500,000 VND

- Second Prize: 1,000,000 VND

- Third Prize: 700,000 VND

- Encouragement Award: 300,000 VND

In cases where teachers, experts, or groups of experts coach multiple contestants who win awards simultaneously, they shall only enjoy the reward according to the highest award level.

c) In cases where contestants and teachers, experts, or groups of experts directly coaching contestants who win awards are awarded commendations by the Prime Minister, they shall enjoy reward systems according to the Law on Encouragement and Rewards and guiding documents thereof.

Section 3

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 8. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from May 1, 2012, and replaces Joint Circular No. 109/2003/TTLT/BTC-BLDTBXH dated November 10, 2003, of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs on financial management for the operation of the Skill Competition.

2. During implementation, if there are any difficulties, please report them to the relevant ministries for study and resolution.