Collaboration unlocks bilateral expertise

A landmark collaboration between the United Kingdom and Vietnam is helping accelerate Vietnam’s transition to a greener, more sustainable economy through an ambitious skills‑development initiative that has engaged hundreds of stakeholders across the country. The Vietnam Green Finance TVET Skills Project, funded by the UK Government and the British Embassy in Vietnam, with delivery led by the UK Skills Partnership through Skills for Inclusion Ltd, has set a new benchmark for how international cooperation can translate policy ambition into practical workforce solutions.

Over the past several months, UK and Vietnamese partners have worked closely across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang to build a shared understanding of the skills required for Vietnam’s fast‑evolving green‑finance landscape. With Vietnam advancing major climate commitments and financial‑sector reforms, the demand for professionals who can apply ESG standards, implement green‑finance taxonomies, and evaluate sustainable investments has grown rapidly. Yet until now, these emerging needs have outpaced the availability of practical, industry‑led training.

This project was designed to close that gap.

Through a coordinated programme of workshops, roundtables, policy dialogues and technical validation sessions, the initiative convened more than 400 participants from government ministries, regulators, commercial banks, investment organisations, universities, TVET institutions and industry experts. The result was an unprecedented collaboration that brought together decision‑makers, educators and employers to co‑design solutions tailored to Vietnam’s real‑world implementation needs.

Building Skills for a Green Future

A major focus of the trade mission was a key project project designed to develop training that reflects the everyday realities of financial institutions as they navigate new sustainability requirements. Working in partnership with City St George’s, University of London, and with input from UK chartered institutes and awarding bodies, the project co‑created two flagship micro‑credentials: Applied Green Finance: Project Appraisal and Taxonomy Implementation and ESG Integration, Reporting and Assurance (including ETS/MRV).

These programmes were designed through a rigorous employer‑led process, ensuring they directly align with the challenges financial professionals face on the ground, whether applying Vietnam’s green taxonomy, integrating ESG metrics into investment decisions, or understanding requirements linked to global frameworks such as the GHG Protocol and ISSB standards. The micro‑credentials are modular, practical, and ready for pilot delivery, with clearly mapped pathways for adoption by universities, training providers and financial institutions.

Jane Rexworthy OBE, Director at Skills for Inclusion Ltd, described the collaborative process as a model for future skills development:
“The development of Vietnam’s International Finance Centre is moving quickly, and employers are asking for expert training that is practical, trusted and immediately applicable. By working directly with industry and policymakers across three major cities, we have created programmes that respond to exactly what the workforce needs now, and what it will need in the years ahead.”