Pursuant to Decision No. 29/2017/QĐ-TTg dated July 3, 2017 of the Prime Minister regulating functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Directorate of Vocational Education Training under the Ministry of Labour – War Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Decision No. 576/QĐ-TCGDNN dated June 1, 2018 of the Director General of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training defining functions and tasks of the Department of Formal Training; position, functions, tasks and responsibilities of the Department of Formal Vocational Training are regulated as follows:
I. Position and Functions
The Department of Formal Training is a unit of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training assisting Director General to implement the State management function in formal training of vocational education and training (VET) system.
II. Tasks and Powers
1. Taking in charge of formulating, submitting to the State’s authorities to issue the legal documents related to the formal training at intermediate, college levels, including:
a) Criteria for high quality programs; regulations in permeability between VET levels. List of training occupations of intermediate, college levels; hard and harmful occupations; occupations with enrolment difficulty but demanded by society; occupations allowed to cooperate, invest with foreign partners and occupations that enterprises have to use trained workers through VET;
b) Regulation on the minimum amount of knowledge for different training levels and each training occupation at intermediate, college levels; capacity requirements that learners need to achieve after graduating from each intermediate, college level;
c) Regulation on the composing, selection, consideration, agreement and use of programs and textbooks in VET; implementation of foreign partner’s the vocational training programs;
d) Enrolment regulations and organization in training, examinations, tests, recognition of graduation at intermediate, college levels; forms of diplomas and certificates and rules of certificate, diploma management in VET;
đ) Regulation on cooperative training at all levels among domestic VET institutions or cooperative training with foreign partners;
e) Criteria, standards and organization to conduct the assessment and recognition of high quality institutions.
2. Assuming prime responsibility for and coordinating with concerned agencies, units in formulating, revising and adding the list of training occupations of intermediate, college levels. Guiding, monitoring the use of the list of formal training occupations at intermediate, college levels.
3. Assuming prime responsibility for and coordinating with concerned agencies, units in the organization of compilation, adjustment, appraisal the common subjects for all training levels.
4. Guiding to and monitoring VET institutions in formulating, issuing and implementing formal VET programs of intermediate, college level; the application of training programs of foreign partners.
5. Guiding, examining VET institutions in enrolment affairs and organization of the formal training for intermediate, college levels; collecting the enrolment and training affairs at different levels all over the country.
6. Guiding, examining the training organization process, examinations, tests and acknowledgement of the formal graduation at intermediate, college levels; the granting of diplomas, certificates in formal training. Examining the granting of certificates, diplomas of VET foreign institutions operating in Vietnam.
7. Assuming prime responsibility for guiding, examining the permeability and cooperative training at different VET levels.
8. Organizing the implementation of high-quality programs; monitoring the implementation of the formal training programs by annum method or by the modules, credits accumulation method.
9. Directing and guiding the transfer of programs, textbooks, learning resources of college level training occupations at international, ASEAN level and organizing training for international, ASEAN, national focal occupations.
10. Organizing the implementation of recognition of VET diplomas and certificates issued by overseas institutions as well as mutual recognition for the people who graduated from overseas VET institutions.
11. Coordinating with the Department of Planning and Finance to get data of enrolment, formal training at intermediate, and college levels; collecting and reporting matters regarding formal training at different levels.
12. Implementing international cooperation as assigned.
13. Performing other tasks assigned by the Director General of Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.

Pursuant on the Decision No. 67/1998/QĐ-TTg dated on March 26, 1998 of the Prime Minister regarding State management transfer on vocational training from Ministry of Education and Training to Ministry of Labour – War Invalids and Social Affairs, the General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) was re-established. Accordingly, the Department of Formal Training, being a unit of the GDVT, also experienced many different historical milestones:
The Occupational Standards Board (the previous name of Department of Formal Training) was established based on the Decree No. 33/1998/ND-CP dated May 23, 1998 of the Prime Minister on the establishment of the General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour – War Invalids and Social Affairs.
The Department of Vocational Training was established on based on the Decision No. 86/2008/QD-TTg dated July 3, 2008 of the Prime Minister defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour – War Invalids and Social Affairs.
The Department of Formal Vocational Training was established based on the Decision No. 43/2013/QD-TTg dated July 16, 2013 of the Prime Minister defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs.
The Department of Formal Training was established based on the Decision No. 29/2017 QD-TTg, dated July 3, 2017 of the Prime Minister defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training under the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs.

Mr. Nghiêm Trong Quy
6/1998 – 12/2005Mr. Nghiêm Trong Quy
Chief of Occupational Standards Board
Duration: From Jun. 1998 to Dec. 2005
(He was appointed as Deputy General Director of the General Department of Vocational Training)

Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh
02/2006 – 8/2012Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh
– Head of Occupational Standards Board
Duration: From Feb. 2006 to Aug. 2008
– Director of Vocational Training Department
Duration: From Aug. 2008 to Nov.2011
– Director of Formal Vocational Training
Duration: From Dec. 2011 to Aug. 2012
(He was appointed as Deputy General Director and General Director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training later)

Mr. Dang Xuan Thuc
10/2013 – 5/2017Mr. Dang Xuan Thuc
Director of Formal Training Department
Duration: From Oct. 2013 to May 2017

Mr. Vu Xuan Hung
3/2018 to nowÔng Vũ Xuân Hùng
Director of Formal Training Department
Duration: Form Mar. 2018 to now