The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) will send young officials who have passed the evaluation to participate in training programs either domestically or abroad. They will be considered for leadership and management positions at the ministerial department level and included in the planning for the position of Vice Minister.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra.
To create a contingent of young officials connected with training, planning, placement, and appointment to leadership and management positions across various levels of the Ministry for the 2023-2026 period, with an orientation towards 2030, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) recently held its first evaluation exam to select outstanding public officials for a project focused on training young leaders at various levels within the Ministry.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra was involved in an interview regarding this project.
Reporter: Minister, could you elaborate on the idea and objectives of the Ministry’s project to train young leaders at various levels?
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: Personnel work is one of the most crucial tasks, the “key of all keys.” Therefore, we have always identified the development and nurturing of young officials as a breakthrough in our personnel work to ensure a continuous and solid transition between generations of leaders.
The objective of our project is to create a pool of young officials with the qualities, capabilities, and reputation necessary to meet the demands of new tasks. At the same time, we aim to link the development of young officials with their training, development, planning, placement, and appointment to leadership and management positions at various levels within the Ministry for the 2023-2026 period, with an orientation towards 2030.
The training will be comprehensive, practical, effective, and tailored to each individual to enhance the capabilities of the Ministry’s young officials. We have proactively coordinated with reputable and experienced domestic and international training institutions to provide training in leadership and management knowledge and skills, as well as knowledge and skills related to the Ministry’s areas of management. We will evaluate and filter young officials after their training, linking this with their planning, placement, and appointment to leadership positions.
Reporter: How is the examination and training program being implemented, Minister?
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: We have divided it into two phases. Phase 1 is from 2023-2026, during which, after the first round of preliminary selection, the Ministry has selected 26 public officials who meet the standards to proceed to the examination round.
In this phase, we strive to have 100% of the young officials in the project, after passing the examination, participate in training programs either domestically or abroad in political theory, expertise, skills, and professional competence. These young officials will be given attention for inclusion in the planning process according to the required standards and conditions. Additionally, based on their training results, efforts, and task performance, with outstanding and specific work products, they will be appointed to leadership positions at various levels that match their abilities and strengths as planned annually.
The goal is to appoint approximately 10% of young officials (under 45 years old) from the project to leadership and management positions at the ministerial department level or equivalent. In Phase 2, from 2026-2030, public officials who have completed the training courses will be recommended for higher positions by one level compared to their current position and will be considered for inclusion in the planning of the Vice Minister position with at least one public official currently holding a deputy director-general position under 45 years old.
Furthermore, we will review and add young officials under 40 years old from the project to the planning for ministerial department-level leadership and equivalent positions; we aim to appoint about 15% of these young officials to leadership and management positions at the ministerial department level and equivalent.
Reporter: Minister, could you please specify the conditions and standards required for candidates to participate in the project?
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: Candidates participating in the project are young officials who must meet at least one of the two general standards: being evaluated by their agencies or units as having practical qualities, capabilities, reputation, and development potential; or having completed their duties well for three consecutive years, including one year of outstanding performance.
Regarding specific standards, these officials must have been directly involved in advising on the drafting of at least two legal documents or academic research projects, or ministerial-level projects or higher, which have been approved and issued (including at least one legal document).
For young officials recruited under Government Decree No. 140/2017/ND-CP on policies for attracting and developing resources from excellent graduates and young scientists, they must have participated in drafting at least one legal document or academic research project, or ministerial-level project or higher, which must have been approved and issued.
We also prioritize candidates for the project in the following order: officials holding positions as Division Heads, Deputy Division Heads, or equivalent in units within and directly under the Ministry; officials in the planning for leadership and management positions; officials who have received awards at the provincial level or higher during their high school, university, or postgraduate studies (with priority given to those with higher-level awards); officials who are ethnic minorities; and female officials.
Successful candidates will undergo domestic training in knowledge, skills, leadership, and management methods; political theory; specialized skills and expertise; standards for positions; and foreign language proficiency.
The Ministry will also organize at least one short-term training course on administrative and public service English for the entire young workforce in the project, enabling them to communicate and study in English abroad. This will be conducted in-person in the country with foreign lecturers. Additionally, young officials will receive overseas training on knowledge and skills required for leadership and management positions and specialized professional positions to enhance the capacity of the young workforce.
Every year, the Ministry of Home Affairs organizes at least one short-term overseas training course, sending 4-7 young officials from the project to participate in each course, combining study with research and site visits. At the same time, the Ministry integrates the sending of officials to participate in overseas training programs organized by the Ministry or other ministries and agencies.
We are strengthening international cooperation in the training of young officials; selecting countries with modern public administration systems and reputable training institutions to send young officials for study, tailored to the specific themes and content of the training course. Among these, we prioritize choosing Japan, France, Singapore, and several other advanced countries.
In addition to training, we will assign and second these young officials to different positions to further cultivate their political acumen, challenge them, enhance their professional expertise, and gain knowledge and experience in various practical environments. This will help them develop their abilities, utilize their strengths, and create opportunities for their future growth.
Reporter: How will the young officials be evaluated and promoted after their training?
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: The leadership team of the agency managing the officials and the units utilizing the young officials must gather feedback and evaluations on matters related to the young officials of the project. Based on these evaluations, the Ministry’s units will classify the quality of the officials, assess their potential for development, and propose whether to retain them in the project or remove them.
For those who meet the requirements for their positions, have outstanding capabilities, and show potential for leadership and management roles at various levels, proposals will be made for their appointment to certain leadership and management positions. Additionally, the leadership team of the agencies and units utilizing the officials must regularly review, identify, and propose new individuals who meet the standards to be added to the project.
The Department of Personnel and Organization will consolidate, appraise, and report the results of the feedback and evaluations concerning the project officials, including those removed from the project, those added to the project, and the outcomes of the project’s annual implementation plan to the CPV Designated Representation of the Ministry for review and decision.
Based on this, a plan for implementing the project for the following year will be developed. Young officials in the project who are proposed for appointment must submit a report on their performance and send it to the CPV Designated Representation of MoHA. The Party Committee, agencies, and units utilizing the officials will evaluate them according to the position standards and current evaluation criteria. When assessing, the focus will be on evaluating the results of the responsibilities and tasks assigned in their field of work, with “specific products” related to their assigned field and tasks being used as criteria for evaluation.
Additionally, we also evaluate their capacity for innovation and creativity; their spirit of daring to think, dare to do, dare to break through, dare to take responsibility, and consistency between words and actions; and their ability to quickly adapt to real-world situations and be decisive and effective in their work.
Reporter: This is a new pilot initiative, and MoHA is the first among the ministries, agencies, and central organizations to implement it. After its implementation, does the Minister consider expanding this model to other ministries, agencies, and localities, or even institutionalizing it as a general model?
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra: As I have mentioned, personnel work is the “key” aspect of the Party’s and the political system’s construction work, the “key of the key.” Proactively creating a source of personnel, especially young leaders who meet the requirements in terms of quality, capability, and reputation, is crucial for ensuring long-term, sustainable development and continuity between generations of officials.
To achieve this, we cannot rely solely on the individuals themselves; there needs to be preparation from the organizing agencies. This approach will lead to success and help us select better-quality young leaders at various levels who can meet the demands of their duties more effectively.
The project to train and develop young leaders at various levels is a pilot initiative. We have determined that the initial phase involves both implementation and learning from experience, gradually improving step by step without being overly perfectionist. After five years of implementation, MoHA will conduct a comprehensive and detailed evaluation.
Based on the results of the implementation, if the outcomes are favorable, we will propose to the Government and the Prime Minister to develop a project to be implemented across central ministries, agencies, and localities. From there, we will work on perfecting the legal system and developing a long-term strategy to build and create a pool of young leaders and managers at various levels who have the qualities and capabilities necessary, with an appropriate structure, contributing to the establishment of a professional, modern, and effective administrative system that meets the demands of the new era.
We also hope that the MoHA’s project can be expanded to other ministries and agencies, contributing to the reform of the public service system and the development of a team of leaders and managers at all levels, especially at the strategic level, who can meet the demands of their duties, and help build a professional, modern, and effective administrative system.
Reporter: Thank you, Minister!
