Organised by the Training Gateway, on 15-19 May a Trade Mission of 14 UK education and training organisations visited Thailand and Vietnam. Training Gateway assists UK and international public and private sector organisations to address their skill needs by providing contacts to corporate, vocational and executive training and educational partnerships. The participating institutions were interested in a wide range of partnership opportunities and the Mission provided a packed schedule, starting with 2 days in Bangkok, followed by 1 day in Ho Chi Minh City and 1 more in Hanoi.

Thailand

Events began in Bangkok with a series of leadership and management masterclasses delivered by the delegates to Thai business owners, senior managers, and HR professionals. The delegation also visited Kasetsart University and the Thai state-owned oil and gas company PTT.

This was the Training Gateway’s first education and training Trade Mission to Thailand and Director Amanda Selvaratnam said “I have been really impressed by the enthusiastic and positive reception we have received in Thailand. There are a great number of opportunities for UK education and training organisations in Thailand and I am hoping many of the delegates develop some really fruitful partnerships over the next few months”.

Vietnam

The delegation then moved to Vietnam, where they were welcomed by the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV). Professional development programmes were high on the agenda including courses with industry-recognised accreditation, vocational qualifications, teacher training, educational partnerships, as well as coaching and mentoring, leadership development and management consultancy.

Ian Gibbons, the British Consul General, provided a warm welcome and some interesting background on the importance of UK-based training and education in the Vietnam marketplace to the delegates. The introduction was followed by a briefing provided by Chris Jeffery from the British University Vietnam, Colin Blackwell from Vietnam Business Forum, Pham Hong Thai and Nguyen Duc Hoang from The Institute for Research on Educational Development Vietnam, and Rick Yvanovich from TRG.

The delegates in Ho Chi Minh City provided masterclasses and met with their counterparts in 1-2-1 business meetings. The delegates were able to discuss opportunities with Vietnamese representatives from universities, colleges and training providers. The participants then travelled up to Hanoi for the second part of the visit and for further 1-2-1 meetings with businesses there.

Whilst the training environment and method of delivery continues to change and develop, the Training Gateway participants demonstrated that the range of utilized platforms needed to include face-to-face, online and also blended opportunities.

This was the second educational mission to Vietnam in recent weeks following on from the British Educational Supplies Association (BESA) which created some strong business links between Vietnam and the UK.

Interested in Trade Missions to Southeast Asia? Our events listings regularly include Missions across a wide range of sectors.