Vietnam ESRT: standards, assessment and certification for tourism

EU-funded Environment and Social Responsible Tourism programme, 2012–14

The challenge

Vietnam’s tourism training relied on curricula not tied to workplace competence. Adopting the ASEAN MRA-TP and the Vietnam Tourism Occupational Skills Standards (VTOS) called for tools, assessment methods and a certification body able to use them.

What I did

• Supported implementation of VTOS and the ASEAN MRA handbooks and toolboxes.
• Helped colleges build VTOS-based curricula.
• Developed work-based assessment for hotel front office managers.
• Contributed to the restructuring of the tourism certification board (VTCB to NTPB) and quality assurance systems.

Outcome

• VTOS-based curricula, assessment models and revised certification arrangements.

Lessons

• Occupational standards only change practice when assessment and certification follow.
• Ownership by the national board matters more than the toolset.