Some solutions to improve access capacity, master science and technology for workers*

Workers are the subjects of access and master of science and technology

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, has taken place since the beginning of the 21st century (officially named at the 46th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2016), with the birth of a smart manufacturing base based on the integration and convergence of many technologies, with pillars being information technology, the Internet, digital technology and biotechnology.

To proactively adapt to the 4.0 Industrial Park, the Communist Party of Vietnam has issued policies and guidelines on promoting industrialization, modernization, transforming growth models, restructuring the economy, proactively and actively integrating internationally associated with developing high-quality human resources and building a modern working class in new conditions.

Classicians have proposed the principle that the infertile class is due to the production of the industrial revolution, but the reality of the industrial revolution over the past century shows that the working class is still the product of the way each country participates in industrial revolutions. History records that there have been industrialized countries that have taken hundreds of years, but the countries that are behind, due to inheriting results and having their own methods, have shortened them to 50 or even 30 - 20 years. World experience shows that countries that successfully industrialize must build a team of workers and laborers with the capacity and qualities to operate a modern industry.

The documents of the 13th National Party Congress determined: building a modern and strong Vietnamese working class; improving political mettle, education level, expertise, professional skills, industrial style, labor discipline to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is a very important, correct and timely policy, in line with the new development requirements and conditions of the country in the context of a rapidly changing world.

Workers are the subjects of access and master of science and technology. This process needs to be recognized not only at the stage where workers have been working at enterprises, but also at the stage of being potential workers and unemployed workers. This affirms the proactive role of workers and related support institutions, not just from enterprises. Workers themselves need to be proactive in orienting their career development roadmap and the key to technology access and mastery is a positive solution to help workers have opportunities to develop their expertise, increase their salary and benefits to be more attractive in the context of technology replacing simple workers, but businesses are "thirsty" for skilled workers.

Workers' participation in scientific and technological activities and business Workers' access to and mastery of technology does not only exist within the scope of business science and technology development. Workers as human resources can participate in any scientific and technological activity. The difference with other labor forces is that workers have access to technology through working in enterprises, are exposed to a professional working environment and are disciplined by enterprises. The problem is to support conditions to motivate workers to improve their personal capacity to eliminate the concept that workers are just a simple workforce, job seekers, and low-level input laborers.

Improving access capacity, mastering science and technology for workers

For each group of workers, there needs to be different solutions, it is impossible to apply common solutions to all groups of workers. The classification of workers associated with technology can be specified as: subjects of workers who have not accessed technology; subjects participating in the technology chain; subjects of operation and supervision. Continuation and upgrading from lack of technological capacity to access, use, supervision to mastering technology is a roadmap that requires appropriate solutions. The problem is how to provide young workers with understanding and access to new technologies, use technology and master supporting technologies to improve living standards and income in the context of many businesses laying off and reducing working hours for workers.

To access and master science and technology, workers must achieve a certain level and skill. This must be done through training, while proactively improving skills and creativity. Along with that are solutions to improve the physical and mental health of workers.

First, Develop a forecast of human resource needs for each industry as a basis for developing a training, retraining plan and labor arrangement in the long, medium and short term future.

Second, Building high-quality human resources. The main resources are from the younger generation who have knowledge of new science and technology or are being trained to participate in the high-quality labor market.

Third, restructure training occupations in line with priority development occupations. Develop training programs, innovate teaching and learning methods, equip enough training means, apply digital technology, new techniques in training to meet practical requirements. In training, it is necessary to combine training at school with practical training at enterprises.

Fourth, Enterprises must have a plan to employ labor, rearrange labor, and retrain in parallel with developing a plan to invest in new equipment and technology.

Fifth, Improve soft skills, groupwork skills for workers and sense of discipline in labor. In an automated working environment, applying new science and technology requires industrial style, discipline, and seriousness in implementing production processes. Therefore, in addition to skills, strict compliance with the production process is mandatory. Teamwork skills also help arouse creativity in workers, making them more proactive in approaching science and technology.

Sixth, There are policies to ensure job security and social security for disadvantaged workers. Among the workers who have to move during the application of new science and technology are female workers, workers who are old and have qualifications that do not meet new requirements. This group has difficulty in receiving vocational training, so it is necessary to study appropriate employment priority policies for them or have separate unemployment insurance policies for this group. In addition, there should be preferential and support policies for workers moving from cities and plains to mountainous, remote and isolated areas.

Seventh, there should be policies to encourage innovation and creativity among workers. This policy is not only of the State but businesses need to have their own policies. Creativity and transferring forests are not only in direct production but also in management and operation.

Solutions to promote workers' access and mastery of science and technology must be coordinated by state agencies, enterprises, and scientists. In addition, it is indispensable to be proactive and have the will to master the science and technology of the workers themselves./

-------------------------

* Anniversary of the Scientific Conference "Building a modern and strong Vietnamese working class" organized by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in November 2024.