More than 3,000 students and 500 teachers throughout Vietnam received digital skills training in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Workforce for an Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem (WISE) project.

The figures were revealed at an event held in Hanoi on Tuesday where government and business representatives joined together to mark the end of the WISE project and highlight shared accomplishments achieved over the past two years.

Through the US$2.2-million USAID project, which began in 2021, the U.S. Mission to Vietnam and the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment’s National Innovation Center joined hands in expanding digital skills within Vietnam’s labor market to improve the upward mobility and competitiveness of the local workforce.

Among the significant outcomes of the project, both sides managed to partner with and invest in nine private and non-profit training institutions to provide digital skills training for over 3,000 students and 500 teachers from more than 60 universities and colleges in this Southeast Asian nation.

The U.S.-Vietnam digital workforce development project leveraged $1 million in contributions from private sector partners.

Students in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, rural areas throughout the regions, and in the Mekong Delta were equipped with digital skills during training sessions in the project.

It also promoted the role of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through a series of 'Women in AI' training programs, aside from establishing partnerships with recruitment agencies, such as Vietnamworks, TopCV, and JobHopins, to develop a digital workforce website that provides comprehensive information and data on salaries, skills, career paths, and selected courses in digital skills.

The WISE project is one of many demonstrations of the enduring partnership of the U.S. in supporting the Vietnamese government’s goal of moving from lower-middle-income status to upper-middle-income status by 2030.

USAID’s WISE project was first announced by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Vietnam in 2021. 

Subsequently in 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden committed to increasing support for Vietnam in the training and development of a high-tech workforce. 

The U.S. is an enduring partner for Vietnam in assisting in the training of a high-quality workforce, contributing to the achievement of Vietnam’s future development goals, as per their comprehensive strategic partnership.

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