Circular No. 27/2017/TT-BLDTBXH dated September 21, 2017 on provision of bridge program between levels of vocational education

CIRCULAR

ON PROVISION OF BRIDGE PROGRAM BETWEEN LEVELS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Pursuant to the Law on vocational education dated November 21, 2014;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 14/2017/ND-CP dated February 14, 2017 on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs;

At the request of the Director General of General Department of Vocational Education,

The Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs promulgates a Circular on provision of bridge program between levels of vocational education.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope

This Circular deals with provision of bridge program between levels of vocational education in the form of full-time and in-service training, including: provision of the bridge program between elementary level and intermediate level, and between intermediate level and college level.

Article 2. Regulated entities

This Circular applies to post-secondary schools, colleges, higher education institutions that have registered for providing training at college level (hereinafter referred to as “schools”).

Chapter II

ENROLMENT FOR AND PROVISION OF BRIDGE PROGRAM

Article 3. Eligibility requirements for provision of bridge program

A school may provide bridge program if the following eligibility requirements are met:

1. The school is issued with a certificate of registration for provision of intermediate and college-level vocational education by a competent authority of the disciplines/branches expected to be included in the bridge program at the equivalent level.

2. The school has introduced bridge program that is designed for the disciplines/branches expected to be included in the bridge program as prescribed in Article 7 of this Circular.

3. For the school providing bridge program designed for health discipline, at least 01 (one) full-time course provided for students at intermediate or college level has been completed.

Article 4. Power to issue decision on enrolment for and provision of bridge program

1. The director of the school may issue a decision on enrolment for and provision of bridge program between levels of vocational education if the eligibility requirements specified in Article 3 of this Article are met.

2. The decision on enrolment for and provision of bridge program shall specify name of discipline/branch, levels, methods and forms of bridge program; eligible applicants and forms of enrolment.

Article 5. Enrolment for and provision of bridge program

1. Applicants for enrolment for the bridge program designed for intermediate level

a) The person that has an elementary certificate, certificate of elementary vocational education with the same discipline/branch and holds a certificate of lower secondary education or higher;

b) The person that has an intermediate education diploma, intermediate vocational education diploma or intermediate professional education diploma wishes to attend the bridge program to have the second intermediate education diploma.

2. Applicants for enrolment for the bridge program designed for college level

a) The person that has an intermediate education diploma with the same discipline/branch and high school diploma or equivalent;

b) The person that has an intermediate education diploma but is yet to have a high school diploma must ensure that he/she learned and passed the exams with adequate academic body of knowledge for high school students according to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training;

c) The person that has an associate degree, associate vocational education degree wishes to attend the bridge program to have the second associate degree.

3. Time and methods of enrolment for and provision of bridge program shall be compliant with the Circular No. 05/2017/TT-BLDTBXH dated March 02, 2017 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on regulations of enrolment and determination of enrollment targets at intermediate and college level.

4. Apart from the regulations specified in Clauses 1, 2 and 3 of this Article, schools may specify other eligibility requirements to ensure training quality in accordance with regulations of this Circular.

5. Annual enrolment quota of each discipline/branch according to each education level is specified in the certificate of registration for provision of intermediate and college-level vocational education issued to schools by a competent authority.

Article 6. Duration of bridge program

1. The duration of the bridge program shall be determined according to the body of knowledge and skills required for each program according to each level, and training methods and modes.

2. The duration of the year-based bridge program between intermediate and college levels is from 01 (one) to 02 (two) years with regard to the intermediate-level graduate according to his/her discipline/branch.

3. The duration of the module-based bridge program between levels of vocational education is the time the time in which a learner must earn the compulsory number of modules or credits required for each training program.

4. The director of the school shall apply the duration of bridge program to each discipline/branch and learner.

Article 7. Bridge program and recognition of validity of converted learning outcomes

1. A bridge program shall be designed according to the inheritance and integration principles in order to minimize the time spent on re-acquiring the knowledge and skills that a learner acquired through other training programs.

2. A bridge program must accurately reflect training targets, contents, duration; methods of teaching, learning and evaluating.

3. A bridge program must provide knowledge and skills that a learner lacks and updates new knowledge and skills of the discipline/branch equivalent to the education level.

4. The director of the school shall, according to the training program, specify the modules, subjects or contents that must not be repeated.

Article 8. Provision of bridge program

1. The provision of bridge program shall be compliant with the Circular No. 09/2017/TT-BLDTBXH dated March 13, 2017 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on regulations on provision of the year-based, module-based or credit-based training program at intermediate and college level; statutes of tests, examination, and recognition of graduation.

2. The provision of in-service bridge program shall be compliant with regulations of the Minister of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Article 9. Diploma and academic transcript

1. A person that attends full-time bridge program shall be issued with a diploma specifying full-time mode of study, a person that attends in-service bridge program shall be issued with a diploma specifying in-service mode of study.

2. The learner’s academic transcript shall clearly specify learning outcomes and number of credits of subjects and modules over the duration of bridge program and of other recognized subjects and modules.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 10. Responsibilities of Ministries, ministerial agencies, Governmental agencies, People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities and socio-political organizations

1. Direct, guide and inspect the provision of bridge program by the schools under their management.

2. Cooperate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in organizing the implementation of this Circular.

Article 11. Responsibilities of Departments of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs

1. Direct, guide and inspect the provision of bridge program by the schools under their management.

2. Submit annual consolidated reports on provision of bridge program between levels of vocational education by the schools within their provinces till December 31 to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (through the General Department of Vocational Education) before January 25 of the next year.

3. Submit a report on provision of bridge program by the schools within their provinces and other relevant issues according to regulations or unscheduled reports upon request to a competent authority.

Article 12. Responsibilities of schools

1. Issue regulations on enrolment and provision of bridge program, including the regulation on criteria and procedures for recognition of validity of converted learning outcomes and body of acquired knowledge and skills that shall be exempted from the bridge program.

2. Within 03 (three) working days from the day on which the decision on provision of bridge program is issued, colleges and higher education institutions, and post-secondary schools shall submit a report to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (through the General Department of Vocational Education) and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the province where the school's headquarters is located respectively. The report includes the following contents:

a) Bridging disciplines and levels; expected enrolment targets; applicants, mode of study and training quality assurance commitment according to the form provided in the Appendix enclosed with this Circular;

b) The decision on enrolment for bridge program and bridge programs (decision on introduction of bridge program enclosed with the bridge program) and a copy of the certificate of registration for vocational education.

3. Publish information about: bridging disciplines/branches; training program; diplomas; regulations on enrolment for and provision of bridge program; student regulations; training plan; requirements for quality assurance; tuition fees; body of knowledge and skills to be exempted.

4. Satisfy requirements for training quality assurance.

5. Submit annual reports on provision of bridge program by a school till December 31 to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the province/city where the school’s headquarters is located before January 10 of the next year. The report includes the following contents:

a) Bridging disciplines/branches; results of enrolment for and provision of bridge program; graduation results, issuance of diplomas within the year; commendation, disciplinary actions; advantages, disadvantages and proposals (if any);

b) A copy of the decision on the list of learners or grading; a copy of the learners eligible or ineligible to graduate in the reporting year (if any);

c) Submit a report on provision of bridge program by the schools within their provinces and other relevant issues according to regulations or unscheduled reports upon request to a competent authority.

6. Retain training records as prescribed in the Circular No. 09/2017/TT-BLDTBXH dated March 13, 2017 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on regulations on provision of the year-based, module-based or credit-based training program at intermediate and college level; statutes of tests, examination, and recognition of graduation.

Article 13. Effect

1. This Circular comes into force from November 05, 2017.

2. Ministries, ministerial agencies, Governmental agencies, People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities and socio-political organizations, General Department of Vocational Education, Departments of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of provinces and central-affiliated cities, and relevant organizations and individuals are responsible for the implementation of this Circular./.