The purpose of this training needs assessment (TNA) is, first, to identify the capacity gaps impeding the ability of the Provincial People’s Councils (PPCs) of Vietnam to fulfill their important budgetary oversight tasks, and, second, to suggest training topics that could help fill these gaps.  With that in mind, the TNA comprises seven sections: (i) discussion of the data collection process used to complete both this report and the training plan and module terms of reference which follow; (ii) discussion on the critical role of PPCs in the budget process of Vietnam, highlighting the key oversight and representative functions that they perform; (iii) assessment of the strengths that PPCs already bring to the table in performing their legal roles, including their representativeness, motivation, transparent and deliberative structure, varied skills, and staff competence; (iv) institutional constraints that PPCs face in performing their roles; these include deputy constraints, staff constraints, institutional rules, information, and time; (v) a description and evaluation of existing training regimes at the provincial level, ultimately concluding that there remains a need for additional budget-focused, in-depth, applied, and well-timed training; (vi) capacity gaps and training needs that we have identified at the provincial level; (vii) analysis of the budget-related skill needs of PPCs, among them collecting and analyzing information, writing reports, holding oversight meetings, relating to the media, constituents, and civil society groups, and posing questions to government officials.  The last part of the TNA presents our judgment as to the best pedagogical approach to take in training, namely one that is practical, interactive, and technical.

Based on the TNAs, the document lays out in more detail the modules that will be taught as part of the proposed training plan.  Collectively, these modules fill the capacity gaps identified in the training needs assessment; they should therefore help equip the Provincial People’s Councils of Vietnam in performing their critical budgetary oversight roles.  In this terms of reference document, we group the modules by course and provide the following basic pieces of information about each one: (1) the learning outcome it should achieve; (2) its length; (3) its content level; (4) its target audience; (5) example knowledge topics; (6) example skills topics; (7) suggested materials to use in the training; (8) suggested group activities; (9) the suggested types of trainers to be employed.  This document is only meant to provide guidance about the basic structure of the modules and should not be taken as fixed and unchangeable.  Additional details will be left to a future stage of curriculum development and to the trainers themselves.