Training high-quality human resources for the elevator industry

One of the fields of activity of Vietnam Elevator Association is to organize training, vocational training, promotion and improvement of quality, safety and technical standards for elevators and escalators in Vietnam. Immediately after its establishment, the Association cooperated with a number of vocational training institutions throughout the country to develop and standardize the elevator technical training program, providing specialized practice infrastructure, technical experts. Teaching towards the purpose of improving the quality of human resources in the elevator industry. The orientation and actions of the Association contribute significantly to the development of the elevator industry in Vietnam and the development of the country.

Some equipment at Hanoi High-Tech Vocational College – The unit that cooperates with VNEA to train elevator technicians

Regarding the cooperation with Vietnam Elevator Association, Dr. Tran Xuan Ngoc – Vice President of Hanoi High-Tech Vocational College assessed that the Vietnam Elevator Association is the largest prestigious organization in the elevator industry. Therefore, the cooperation between the Association and schools, including the Hanoi High-Tech Vocational College, is of strategic significance to the issue of training human resources in the elevator industry. The association has a wide coverage of the elevator industry, understands the process of organizing vocational education activities in schools, from developing training programs, developing vocational skills standards and can support specialized equipment support in elevator practice. Along with that, the Association also creates conditions for its experienced units to provide experts and engineers with deep expertise in collaboration with permanent lecturers of schools to teach in-depth technical skills. This field does not have a formal training system.

“We highly appreciate the enthusiasm, responsibility, strong involvement, and enthusiasm of the Vietnam Elevator Association in promoting cooperation in human resource development in the elevator industry. In response, Hanoi High-Tech Vocational College also urgently prepares all necessary conditions to soon submit to the General Department of Vocational Education for approval to open the elevator engineering profession code. Other activities such as training programs, teachers, and facilities were also urgently built in parallel by the school. We hope that with the extensive and effective cooperation between the school and the Association, this year, we will enroll students for the first formal elevator technical training course in the country!”, Mr. Ngoc said with excitement.

Organization of training and certification of elevator safety

Regarding the potential to use elevators, an expert in the construction field said that according to statistics in Hanoi alone, the number of high-rise buildings with 20 floors or more is about 10,000. Along with that, the number of elevators used in it is very large. Elevators are complex technological devices, requiring a high level of safety, so they need to be regularly maintained, repaired and inspected. This requires that the technical staff operating the building need to be properly and formally trained in elevator techniques. However, at present, managers in high-rise apartment buildings are often not properly trained, not having a certificate in elevator operation. This leads to the failure of timely handling of elevator incidents, including fatal cases because of the ignorance of those responsible for building management.

An elevator technical training session at Vietnam Institute of Lift Engineering Application

From that fact, from the end of 2021, Vietnam Elevator Association has cooperated with Gama Service – GamaLift high-end technical service unit to organize training and certification of elevator safety for workers working in this field. In February 2022, the Association continued to open training programs for technical staff of some member units. The trainees are trained according to a methodical, professional and specialized framework program on elevator principles, installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of elevators, etc. The trainees are also equipped with general knowledge about elevator safety, rescue, elevator accident handling… Professional ethics is also an important part to help students improve their responsibilities towards themselves, customers and the community.

Talking to a reporter from Elevator Magazine, leaders of Vietnam Elevator Association shared that the Association aims to train and test workers in the elevator industry at many levels. The training not only complements the profession, but also focuses on improving professional ethics to train  engineers and technicians. Students who complete the elevator safety training courses organized by the Association will be seriously tested, certified, and arranged by the Association’s units with appropriate salary suggestions. commensurate with abilities, qualifications, etc.

Learning with practice

A unit under the Vietnam Elevator Association, in addition to the elevator application research function, also has long-term training plans. It is Vietnam Institute of Lift Engineering Application, which has just been established but has long-term plans. One of those plans is to organize training in elevator engineering. Dr. Nguyen Duc Hanh, Director of Vietnam Institute of Lift Engineering Application shared: “The Institute will train staff to install, operate and maintain elevators with modern and up-to-date documents. Learning will have to go hand in hand with practice which is the most effective training principle.

A practical factory of Vietnam Institute of Lift Engineering Application in Thai Nguyen

Currently, Institute has installed 2 elevators in the practice area of ​​the Institute in Thai Nguyen with full components and equipment, that is a traction elevator, a hydraulic elevator. These two elevators together with several models of interlocking doors and a full automatic elevator door drive system will help students approach the reality of “real people, real things”, serving the Learning by doing method. The Institute also cooperates with a number of enterprises of the Association so that students have the opportunity to observe, learn and gain experience at the site in the form of Training on job.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Hanh shared, the preparation work for specialized training in elevator engineering such as training programs, experts, teachers, infrastructure for practice has basically been meticulously prepared, professional, ready. Institute leaders said that initially, each course can receive training from 30-40 students, each year from 2-3 courses. It is expected that in June 2022, the first elevator technical training course will be opened. Students are required to pass an exam to obtain a certificate. The certification levels will clearly classify the level of the students. Certificates issued to students are valid nationally and internationally. In the coming time, when the Association and the Institute cooperate with international and regional elevator associations, the cooperation contents include training coordination, training and sending laborers to work abroad. The data of all trainees trained by the Institute will be integrated and stored on the Association’s website. Enterprises and users of elevator technicians nationwide or abroad can easily look up and check documents about the training process of trainees. This is also a factor to help trainees be recruited by foreign elevator companies to work as a form of labor export. The Institute will commit to output quality. In the near future, Vietnam Institute of Lift Engineering Application expand its training in many fields related to elevators.

The market for elevators and escalators is growing and has great potential, corresponding to the demand for large human resources. However, the supply is difficult due to the fragmented training, strong work for everyone, no official industry code, lack of practice environment, etc. In that situation, the active, effective, and professional participation of the Vietnam Elevator Association in training promises to create many opportunities for elevator technicians. They will receive formal training in training facilities equipped with modern equipment, a real practice environment, study with practice, and be granted valuable certificates to meet the increasingly strict requirements of customers and businesses.