The workshop on vocational training in Germany, organised by the Goethe-Institut on 17 November 2024 in Hanoi, attracted a large number of students and parents in Hanoi.

CNG is a project implemented by the Goethe-Institut Hanoi to support Vietnamese candidates who wish to undertake vocational training in Germany or have their qualifications recognised in order to work in Germany. Candidates receive advice and support in finding vocational training contracts from trustworthy sources and in preparing for life in Germany. This advice and support is entirely free of charge.

CRAFT is a pilot project implemented by the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts and funded by the European Social Fund. It aims to recruit apprentices and skilled workers from Viet Nam, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Kazakhstan and match them with craft enterprises in the state of Thuringia.

Participants in both projects first study for the B1 German certificate in Viet Nam and are then sent to Germany to study for the B2 certificate over 1.5 years. Over the following three years, they undertake vocational training.

At the workshop, Ms Linh Đào, coordinator of the CNG project, said: "Candidates taking part in the CNG project receive more support than in other projects. Specifically, trainees receive an allowance of EUR 1,000 per month and some other costs during their studies in Germany. In addition, candidates are supported as fully as possible. The organisers accompany candidates from the visa application and buying air tickets to being met at the airport in Germany and help with renting accommodation, opening a bank account and so on." Ms Linh Đào added that the CNG project has been running since 2023 and that 40 Vietnamese trainees have so far gone to study in Germany.

Mr Thomas Malcherek, General Director of the Erfurt Chamber of Crafts (HWK Erfurt), Federal Republic of Germany, said that Erfurt's advantage is not only that its vocational training centre has modern machinery, but also that during three years of training there, trainees gain practical knowledge and build problem-solving skills to compete with other craftspeople in Germany. "Enterprises in Germany will hire you straight away if you have a diploma from our centre. During their training here, trainees are paid a good wage."

Readers interested in these two projects should contact Ms Linh Đào by email: karriere-navi@goethe.de.