HCM CITY — Fewer students are enrolling in technology studies although the demand for trained staff in the field is high, according to university officials.

Le Thi Ngoc Phuong, head of Sai Gon Technology University's training office, said that her university had faced a drop in enrollment in recent years, even though it had lowered tuition to attract students.

In 2002, the number of students in technology fields at her university accounted for 50 per cent of students. The ratio fell to 36.5 per cent in 2004 and 28 per cent in 2011.

Dr Duong Van Tam, deputy head of the city's Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority, pointed out that the need for trained employees in this field would be great, especially under the city's development plan, which calls for 40 export-processing and industrial zones by 2025.

Currently, the city has 15 export processing and industrial zones and one hi-tech park, but only 10,000 of the employees are university graduates, accounting for 35 per cent of the total number of employees.

Professor Pham Phu of HCM City University of Technology under Viet Nam National University-HCM City said that many developed countries had attracted students and staff from developing countries to training programmes in technology fields.

However, Viet Nam had not developed policies to attract students, Phu said.

Dr Nguyen Duc Nghia, deputy director of Viet Nam National University-HCM City, said the number of students in this field accounted for 33 per cent of the total at his university, lower than in the faculties of finance and banking.

To attract learners to the technology sector, training programmes should be changed and more marketing campaigns conducted, he said.