Vietnam Universities pilot new training approach

Vietnam University Student

A number of universities in Viet Nam have recently piloted a series of training programmes after enterprises have demanded that their students are prepared for work after graduating.

This is a new model of training called Profession Oriented Higher Education (POHE), which is different from the traditional theory-based training models that Vietnamese students are used to.

This model, which has been successfully applied in many European countries, ensures that colleges and enterprises have strong connections, as the enterprises are directly involved in the training process and welcome students as interns.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, Viet Nam currently has eight public universities where the POHE model is applied. These include Ha Noi University of Agriculture, the National Economics University and the universities of Agriculture and Forestry in central Hue City, northern Thai Nguyen Province and HCM City.

The model has been piloted to respond to the fact that most university graduates are not ready to start working. As fresh employees, they still need some training from their new bosses and training can be costly and time-consuming for the employers.

Recently, the model has been adopted by Ha Noi-based National Economics University at its Tourism and Hospitality Faculty.

According to Professor Nguyen Van Manh, the faculty head, to offer a practical training programme to students, the department’s staff had tried to collect feedback from employers on their newly graduated employees.

Having learned that many employers were not satisfied at the level of foreign language skills, the department has raised the credits for foreign languages, highlighting their importance.

Furthermore, while students who had applied in the past were required to sit examinations for the A-group subjects (maths, physics, chemistry), recent students now have to take tests for the D-group subjects, which are maths, literature and English.

Now, students at the department also have to take a career orientation course, so they are well aware of the profession they will be following, or else they can withdraw to pursue a more suitable profession.

Manh added that besides studying at university, students are also expected to take a six -month internship with a company that has signed a co-operation agreement with the university.

At the Ha Noi University of Agriculture’s Agronomy Department, previously the students only took traditional courses such as crop science, plant protection and plant varieties.

But after the POHE model has been applied, they also study about horticulture and landscape technology, which give them knowledge about architectural design and tree shaping. These kinds of skills have been recognised as missing in previous curricula.

Professor Pham Thi Huong said the university is trying to be proactive in the range of training skills that it offers to meet actual social demands.

“That way, students under the POHE programme should be able to put into practice what they have learned and fresh graduates will be able to keep up with the pace that practical work demands.”

Le Anh Trung, a resident of Ha Noi’s Hoai Duc District, has been able to start managing his family’s extensive market garden right after graduating from the University of Agriculture in 2011.

After Trung got involved, the family’s garden has blossomed as a real business.

With all the advantages the POHE model offers, educators point out that applying the model is still not easy.

Manh at the University of Agriculture said that universities would need a lot of support when applying the model. In particular, they need funding to research social demands and develop new curricula.

He said the POHE model needs serious support from enterprises, so enterprises need to show real commitment to the training process.

Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the General Department of Vocational Training, said that in many countries, universities operate with some level of support from the enterprises who recruit their graduates.

The Ministry of Education and Training hopes to extend the POHE model to other universities at a later date.