The rapid spread of digital transformation and technology application offer new opportunities and challenges to Vietnamese enterprises for surviving and enhancing competitiveness. Transformation process of enterprises inevitably requires support from productivity specialists with experience and qualifications. Therefore, one of the important missions to Vietnam in the next time is to build up a network of highly-trained productivity specialists with regional and international qualifications. 

On 4th February 2020, the Prime Minister passed the Directive No.7 on solutions to enhance national labor productivity and asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to quickly implement Asian Productivity Organization’s productivity projects, including the certification body development project on training, evaluating, and certifying specialists in productivity improvement (CBD). Accordingly, APO will assist Vietnam National Productivity Institute (VNPI) in building capacity that ensures compliance with the requirements of certification body and operation under APO’s certification program. The project will provide VNPI with training and consultancy on establishing organizational structure, documentation systems, and procedures matching APO’s requirements for certification body of productivity specialists. As for VNPI, the organization will set up plans to implement CBD, as well as evaluate the current qualifications, and identify necessary contents to improve capacity of existing certification body. The project is expected to complete in September 2020. 

APO General Secretary, Mr.Achmad Kurnia Prawira Mochtan, said that the APO Accreditation Program is one of our latest initiatives. That initiative actually strengthens NPOs. Why does it strengthen NPOs? Because it can enhance the competency and capability of NPOs. We are evaluating it from only conducting traning and consultancy, but now NPOs can also be a certification body. We will have more productivity experts and specialists, and after that we can promote and enhance productivity movement in countries in a more prosperous and intensive way. So, these are some of our expectations when we conduct this program not only in Vietnam but also in 6 member countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Mogolia.

Mr. Kelvin Chan Keng Chuen, Director and Principal Consultant, Teian Consulting International Pte Ltd, Singapore shared that "I have been practicing for productivity for the last three years, and of course, the important thing is that the work that you have done in the past has to be recognized by the industry. So, the certification of productivity specialist gives you a good opportunity to get recognized". 

Mr.Nik Rusdi Nik Yusoff, Senior Consultant, DMC Solutions and Services, Malaysia told about the plan of enhancing capacities of productivity specialists in Malaysia " Actually, in Malaysia, we have 200 consultants and trainers in the productivity program who have registered under MPC’s program. So, for the first part of this year, we want to certify 10% of which and later, we want to increase nationwide allocation to offer opportunites to external consultants". 

From 30th March to 4th April 2020, Vietnam National Productivity Institute collaborated with Asian Productivity Organization, held an online conference to launch the project on capacity development of certification body of productivity specialists. During the five-day conference, the certification body group of VNPI and APO discussed many contents including general requirements for certification bodies in APO-AB 1003:2020; general requirements for bodies operating certification of persons in ISO:IEC 17024:2012; requirements and process of productivity specialists certification in APO-PS 101:2019.

"Vietnam is one of the third member countries of APO which is designated as the certification body along with Indonesia and Malaysia. It is an important foundation for Vietnam to develop a network of productivity specialists at international level, which will help Vietnamese enterprises improve productivity as well as enhance competitiveness in the context of global integration". Dr.Ha Minh Hiep, Deputy General Director of Directorate for Standard, Metrology and Quality commented. 

The project promises to contribute to boosting consulting and training capacities of national specialists as well as develop highly-trained, qualified, reliable network of productivity specialists with regional and international certifications. 

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