PRESS RELEASE

April 9, 2009

United States Renews Call for Education Public-Private Alliance Project Proposals

HANOI, April 9, 2009 -- The U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam is making a special call for the submission of concept papers related to higher education and work force skills development.  USAID/Vietnam intends to launch a medium- to long-term initiative in higher and skills-based education.  The objective of this initiative is to improve the quality and relevance of Vietnam's education, to the extent practicable, for disadvantaged youth.

The initiative also seeks to:

1. Enhance the capacity of Vietnam's higher education institution(s) to establish public-private partnerships for high quality, accredited courses in key technical skill areas (Engineering and Technology focus) that meet international standards.
2. Increase the capacity of Vietnamese higher education institution(s) to promote high degrees of academic independence, flexibility, and autonomy. 
3. Increase the capacity of Vietnamese students in soft skills necessary to perform well on almost any job. These skills have been identified by employers as critical for workforce competitiveness (such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, English language skills, and computer literacy including using the Internet effectively for research and information).
4. Help Vietnam meet its needs for cluster-based workforce skills development, in particular for disadvantaged youth to respond to the needs of U.S. companies working in Vietnam.

In order to be invited to the proposal submission stage of the alliance screening process, interested organizations should ensure that the concept papers demonstrate:

a) How the organizations will leverage U.S. Government resources on at least a 1:1 basis;

b) How the proposed alliance will carry out priority development activities that are within the shared interests of the alliance partners; and

c) How the proposed activities will respond to Vietnam’s national socio-economic development agenda. 

Expressions of interest can be submitted at any time up to April 15, 2009, and will be reviewed on a first come/first served basis. 

Contact:
Mr. Howard R. Handler, General Development Officer. 
USAID, General Development Office

Tung Shing Square, 15/F, 2 Ngo Quyen Street
Hanoi, Vietnam

More information about the request for concept papers can be found here:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_partnerships/gda/resources/USAID-Vietnam_Education_Addendum.doc