No flour still washes the foundation
Taking me on a tour of a multi-billion-dong dried agricultural processing factory in Binh Thanh commune (Cao Lanh district), Mr. Nguyen Chuong Phi shared: "I started with nothing."
In 2014, after graduating from university with a major in food processing, Phi went to Dong Thap Employment Service Center (Center) to work in Japan to fulfill his ambition to start a business.
In 2017, when many commodities, such as bananas and sweet potatoes, fell in price, Phi decided to invest in an agricultural drying factory to reduce the pressure of losses for the people. From 600 million VND in savings, the brand "Quang Vinh Food" was born, not only providing the province with new products, but also creating jobs for hundreds of direct and indirect workers.
Many people even rose from “negative numbers” like Trang Thi Hong Tham (born in 1998, Long Hoa commune, Lai Vung district). Leaving the lecture hall because her family was in debt, Tham was connected by Dong Thap to work in Japan. After 4 years, Tham sent back 700 million VND to help her family pay off the debt, build a house, and buy a car to provide services. When she returned to Vietnam, Tham was accepted as a Japanese teacher by Hung Thinh International Human Resources Joint Stock Company (HCMC).
Mr. Pham Thien Nghia - Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee - concluded: "After 10 years (2014-2024), Dong Thap has sent more than 15,000 workers to work abroad in countries such as Japan and Korea. Not only sending back more than 1,300 billion VND/year, many workers have also become their own boss, creating stable jobs for many local people".
In the midst of difficulty, wisdom emerges
“As a province without many natural resources, Dong Thap has identified promoting human resources as a breakthrough for development, including sending workers abroad to work,” said Mr. Phan Van Thang - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Council of Dong Thap Province. However, due to many reasons, this work sometimes seemed to be “frozen” when in 3 years (2011-2013), only 87 workers were sent to work in low-income, high-risk markets.
After determining that workers did not have enough economic capacity to choose high-income markets, while there was no loan policy, Dong Thap boldly "broke the ice". From internal consensus, in 2014, the Provincial People's Council issued a Resolution to support workers to work abroad: Workers were supported with loans for 90% of the cost and 100% of the cost for foreign language training and orientation education. Dong Thap provincial leaders regularly met to foster spirit and motivate, such as: "Go to work for hire - Come back to be the boss"; "Study according to social needs". Thanks to that, only 3 years later (2014-2016), there were 1,863 workers going abroad.
It is internal solidarity that gives Dong Thap strength. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries recruited workers, but many Dong Thap workers became unemployed because they did not dare to go abroad. Afraid of missing out on the golden opportunity, Mr. Thang took on the responsibility of going to Japan and Korea to connect as a way to share responsibility so that the Provincial People's Committee could focus on managing economic recovery after the pandemic.
After each trip, he conveyed "real people - real events" to departments, localities, and media agencies. Thereby strengthening people's trust and "leading" more than 20 Japanese and Korean companies to Dong Thap to find "reliable partners" in 2022. Thereby, 1,700 Dong Thap workers went to Japan, reaching 118.6% of the yearly plan.
Fostering a job ecosystem
In order to have more workers, especially the vulnerable and those who have made mistakes, have fair opportunities, Dong Thap is determined to build a labor - employment ecosystem. "Build a capital support mechanism to meet the needs of starting a business and a job environment so that all workers can find opportunities: Go to work for hire - Come back to be their own boss" - Mr. Thang helped me visualize. Accordingly, on October 18, 2024, Dong Thap coordinated with Department C10 (Ministry of Public Security) to organize a Job Transaction session at Cao Lanh Prison. "We are very confident because we have succeeded with the case of Nguyen Thanh Nam (An Binh commune, Cao Lanh district)" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Tuyet - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Dong Thap shared.
Due to his carelessness in traffic, Nam was sentenced to 12 months of suspended imprisonment. His sentence expired in 2017, but Nam had difficulty integrating due to his inferiority complex and social prejudice. After receiving advice from the Counseling Center, Nam went to Japan to work. With his savings, he returned to his hometown to buy 2,000 square meters of land to grow specialized mangoes and became the boss.
Lieutenant Colonel Cao Quang Thong - Deputy Warden of Cao Lanh Prison commented: "This is a humane act". According to Mr. Thong, people who make mistakes are likely to re-offend due to lack of jobs. Therefore, the job fair not only helps them get their hands on job opportunities soon, but also builds confidence to confidently embark on the journey of integration.
(Posted on the special edition of Lao Dong Xuan At Ty)
