On April 5, 2022, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock visited the Can Tho Information Technology Center to join a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch a new Digital Academy supported by USAID, as well as to observe an MOU signing ceremony committing local businesses and business associations to work together to increase job opportunities for its graduates. The Digital Academy is being launched by IM Group Technology JSC. (IMG), a Vietnamese business specializing in digital skills training that is expanding its services to the Mekong Delta region with support from USAID’s Workforce for an Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem (WISE) activity. IMG and USAID WISE are partnering to develop a training-of-trainers program on digital skills to be offered in the new Digital Academy space. This partnership expects to equip 300 learners with digital skills and possible internship and job opportunities after graduation in three Mekong Delta provinces—Can Tho, Ben Tre, and Tien Giang. Mission Director Yastishock also engaged in a roundtable discussion with 60 representatives from training institutions, professional associations and private sector companies about the need for digital transformation for startups in the Mekong Delta and the opportunities for new talent to help fill this gap.
The Mekong Delta region has a large, young labor force and an abundance of startups in traditional sectors that would benefit from e-commerce and digital marketing. USAID’s support for digital skills training is helping learners to acquire new skills and access new jobs that advance the local economy.
