Papers

• Vocational learning as infrastructure in Vietnam Eva Fuhrmann University of Cologne

  This chapter discusses the inequalities as well as possibilities inherent in the various forms of vocational learning in Vietnam in light of the government’s aim to implement reforms of the vocational training system adapted to a neoliberal economy, evoking the idea of a prosperous and modern nation on its way toward a green high-tech economy. Interviews show that learning at the workplace and participation in training courses resulting in nationally accepted certification still constitutes a reality for young people in Vietnam who do not have access to globalized infrastructures of vocational training. These national and localized infrastructures offer low-threshold entrances into jobs. This is especially needed for women but also children of low-income households in general who need to earn an additional income for the household. Standardized training and internationally accepted certification offer the possibility of higher income and global mobility. It creates an infrastructure that can create a path toward economic gain for those who are able to take part in it.

• Greta Timea Biro Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg

Abstract