Motul Corazón supports future automotive technicians in Vietnam

The Motul Corazón Foundation has been helping to support a new wave of automotive technicians in Vietnam. The vocational training programme, part of the Seeds of Hope initiative in collaboration with the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD), supports human and economic development and youth employment.

Its aim is to provide the necessary environment and skills that will help the next generation of young people find employment in the automotive industry. To date, the project has supported 585 young people to train in automotive maintenance at three schools in Vietnam. Aimed at boys and girls aged between 15 and 18 years old from disadvantaged backgrounds, the course gives them the opportunity to access interesting careers as well as develop personally.

As part of the Motul-supported programme, the funding helps upgrade the training curriculum to ensure the students’ skills meet hiring companies’ needs. It also provides new equipment for workshops to allow them to work in real-world conditions, and organises guidance and employment activities to help students integrate into a working environment. Finally, the scheme provides training opportunities for trainers to allow them to teach in conditions closer to a real professional environment.

The Seeds of Hope project was launched in Vietnam in 2017. It focuses on two major training components: residential and industrial electricity and automotive maintenance and aims to give students better access to comprehensive vocational training with more practical situations and fewer theoretical lessons. This helps them develop professional skills that can be taken straight into work. The course also includes an internship element, where students can gain real-life experience, as well as company visits and employment skills training such as CV writing and job interview practice.

In Vietnam, a lack of adequate training opportunities is holding young people back from a burgeoning employment market. There is currently a high demand for qualified technicians in residential and industrial electrical and automotive maintenance at both local and international companies in Vietnam, but these businesses feel that they face a challenge recruiting suitably qualified people.

In a country where the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 years’ old is three times higher than that of the whole country, representing 45% of the total labour force, this initiative could be a win-win for everyone.

Officially created in December 2011 under the aegis of the french non-profit organization Fondation de France, Motul Corazón is Motul's socially responsible company foundation. Its global mission is to support actions towards unprivileged adolescents who, whatever difficulties they are faced with, deserve a better future.