SHORT-TERM SECRETARY TRAINING PROGRAM

1. Training objectives
The training aims to equip learners with the knowledge and guidance on methods to become competent in secretarial and administrative assistant roles in the offices of agencies, organizations, and businesses; to enhance their understanding of the duties, roles, positions, and basic skills and professional practices of secretaries in general and executive secretaries in particular; and to develop proficiency in essential secretarial skills such as: collecting, processing, and synthesizing information; providing appropriate and effective advice; drafting and managing documents according to requirements; communicating, interacting, and managing relationships within the organization; organizing, managing time, and effectively carrying out assigned tasks…
2. Target audience for training
- Chief and Deputy Chief of Office; Head and Deputy Head of Administrative Department/Division; Office Staff; Office Secretary; Assistant or Private Secretary for leadership and management positions… of state agencies, enterprises or political-social organizations, social-professional organizations.
- Officials, civil servants, and public employees currently working in the administrative and office sector in general at state agencies, enterprises, and organizations at the central and local levels;
- Students from vocational schools, colleges, and universities (especially graduating students who need to work in corporate offices or government agencies);
- Organizations and individuals who need training in secretarial skills.
3. Training duration
1 month (weekdays or on Saturdays and Sundays)
4. Total course load
The total number of credits to be accumulated is 05 credits (75 hours), including:
- Required courses: 4 credits
- Elective course: 1 credit
- Practical training: 1 credit
After completing the course, learners will have acquired the following knowledge:
- In terms of knowledge: Learners will grasp the basic knowledge about the duties, roles, positions, and fundamental skills and professional practices of secretaries in general and executive secretaries in particular, such as: information gathering and processing, document drafting and management, and reception; as well as some essential skills such as: advisory skills, administrative communication skills, time management skills, etc.
- In terms of skills: Learners will be able to assume and perform well the duties of a secretary or administrative assistant in the offices of agencies, organizations, and businesses.
- Regarding attitude: Learners understand the position and role of the secretary and executive secretary positions within an agency or organization.
5. Type of diploma awarded
Trainees who complete the training course and meet all the course requirements will be awarded a certificate.
- Certificate name: “Secretarial Skills”
- Certificate issued by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
6. Training program content

Note: Detailed course outlines are included for each module.
7. Teaching and learning equipment
- Utilizing modern classrooms and equipment to effectively meet the learning and teaching needs of the course.
- Equipment for students to practice with: File folders, mock documents, mock stamps, A4 paper, pens, paper clips, etc.
8. Teacher Requirements
The lecturers are experts in the fields of Administration - Office Management and Document Management - Archiving, holding Master's degrees or higher.
9. Implementation
Training courses are organized online or in person at the University or in various locations, in compliance with the regulations on training and certification of the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and the Training Regulations of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The conditions for receiving a certificate are as follows:
- Trainees must not miss more than 2/3 of the course duration (including the practical training portion);
- Students must complete two written exams or two final essays, including the exam or essay for the course "Overview of Administrative and Office Work" and the course "General Secretarial Skills".
- The results of the written exams or final essays at the end of the course must be 5 points or higher.

1. Module 1: Overview of administrative and office work
This course aims to equip learners with fundamental knowledge of administration and office work, including the content and nature of such work, as well as the requirements for administrative and office staff.
Content 1: Overview of administrative and office work
- The concept of administration
- The concept of an office
- Offices in agencies and businesses
Content 2: Administrative and office work
- Concept
- The nature of administrative and office work
Section 3: Requirements for office administrative staff
- Quality
- Capacity
- Skill
2. Module 2: Introduction to Secretarial Skills
This course provides fundamental knowledge about the secretarial profession, including the position, role, functions, responsibilities, and necessary competencies and qualities of a secretary working in agencies, organizations, or businesses.
Content 1: Duties and responsibilities of a secretary
- The concept of "Secretary"
- The secretary's duties
- The position and role of a secretary
Content 2: Basic duties and skills of a secretary
- Basic operations
- Skills (Professional skills and supplementary skills)
Content 3: Competence and qualities of a secretary
- The secretary's capabilities
- Qualities of a secretary
3. Module 3: Information Collection and Processing Techniques
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge about information gathering and processing, including concepts, principles, requirements, and procedures. Learners will also practice some steps in the information gathering, processing, and delivery process.
Content 1: General overview of information collection and processing
- Concept
- Principles of information collection and processing
- Request for information collection and processing
Content 2: Information Collection and Processing Procedures
- Identify information needs
- Identify information sources and methods for collecting information.
- Applying information processing methods
- Provide information
- Storing information
Content 3: Practicing information gathering and processing
- Gathering information
- Information processing
4. Module 4: Document Drafting and Management Skills
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge about the document system, the requirements for drafting, the process, and methods of drafting administrative documents; and the principles, process, and methods of managing administrative documents.
Content 1: General overview of the document system
- System of legal documents
- Administrative document system
- System of specialized and technical documents
Content 2: Requirements and methods for drafting documents
- Request for document drafting
- Document drafting process
- Methods for drafting certain administrative documents
Section 3: Requirements and methods for document management
- Requirements of document management
- Outgoing document management process
- Incoming document management process
- Job profile creation process
Content 4: Practice
- Drafting administrative documents
- Create a job profile
5. Module 5: Archiving Operations
The Archival Operations course aims to provide learners with a basic understanding of the role of archival work in general and archival operations in particular, helping learners to correctly perform archival operations, guide other staff members in performing archival operations, and at the same time, helping learners to develop management and control thinking in archival work.
Content 1: Document collection and archiving procedures
- Definition of archival document collection
- The significance of collecting and archiving documents
- The basic tasks of collecting and archiving documents.
- Procedures and methods for collecting documents for archiving in the agency.
Content 2: Archival document classification procedures
- Definition of Archival Document Classification
- The purpose, principles, and requirements of document classification.
- Procedures for classifying documents in institutional archives
Content 3: Procedures for determining the value of archival documents
- Definition of determining the value of archival documents
- Principles for determining the value of documents
- Methods for determining the value of documents
- Specific standards applied in determining the value of institutional archive documents.
- Tools for guiding the determination of document value
Content 4: Archival document preservation procedures
- Definition of archival document preservation
- Purpose and principles of archival document preservation
- Identify the causes of damage to archival documents.
- Organizing the preservation of archival documents
Content 5: Operations related to organizing, exploiting, and utilizing archival documents.
- Definition of an organization that exploits and uses archival documents.
- The purpose and significance of organizing the exploitation and use of archival documents.
- Forms of organization for exploiting and using archival documents
- Responsibility for promoting the value of archival documents
6. Module 6: Office Reception
This course provides fundamental theoretical and practical knowledge about protocol and protocol work in agencies and organizations, enabling learners to advise office leaders and leaders of agencies and organizations on protocol matters; and to directly perform assigned protocol tasks, contributing to maintaining, building, and developing relationships within agencies, organizations, and businesses.
Content 1: Overview of reception work in agencies and organizations
- Concepts and terminology
- Content of reception duties
- The duties of reception staff
- The importance of reception services
Content 2: Responsibilities for organizing and implementing reception services
- Responsibilities of agency leaders
- Responsibilities of the office and office leadership
- Responsibilities of the unit leader
- Responsibilities of the reception department and reception staff
- Responsibilities of officers and employees
Content 3: Office Receptionist Duties
- Building the image of the organization
- Protocol and etiquette when welcoming and receiving guests.
- Protocol and etiquette in organizing events and meetings.
- Etiquette, manners, and style when interacting with guests.
- Internal protocol
7. Module 7: Effective Advisory Skills
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge about effective advisory services, including the concept, role of advisory work, content of advisory services, principles, and procedures.
Content 1: Overview of advisory work
- Concept
- The role of advisory work
- Content of the consultation
- Principles and requirements of staff work
Content 2: Advisory Process and Methods
- Advisory process
- Effective advisory methods
Content 3: Practice
- Case study
- Select a practical problem to advise on.
8. Module 8: Practical Training
This course requires learners to gain practical experience and apply the skills they have learned to the real-world situations of the agencies, organizations, and businesses where they are currently working. Through practical exercises, learners will accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses to become professional secretaries.
Course product: The practical result is a final essay. The essay will be evaluated and will be the basis for awarding a certificate to the learner.
9. Module 9: Administrative Communication Skills
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge of administrative communication. The knowledge acquired aims to help learners recognize their own communication abilities and develop and refine their communication skills for effective application in life in general, and in the workplace and administrative communication environment in particular.
Content 1: General issues regarding communication
- Concept
- Function
- The communication process
- Administrative communication methods
- Causes of communication failure
Content 2: Communication Skills
- Listening skills
- Speaking skills
- Reading skills
- Writing skills
- Emotional control skills
Content 3: Skills in administrative communication
- Principles of administrative communication
- Communicating with superiors
- Communicating with subordinates
- Communicating with colleagues
10. Module 10: Event Organization Skills
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge of event organization skills. Based on the theories and practical exercises acquired, learners will be able to perform some basic tasks in the implementation of common types of events for agencies, organizations, and businesses.
Content 1: Overview of Event Organization
- The concept of an event and event organization
- Classifying the types of events in organizations
- The role of event organizers in organizations
- Event organizer's requirements
- The office's responsibilities in event organization
Content 2: Event organization process in the organization
- Define the goals and theme for the event.
- Planning and implementing preparatory tasks for the event.
- Event execution
- Handling post-event tasks
- Content 3: Methods for organizing some common events in organizations
- Organizing workshops and conferences
- Organizing celebrations for the agency's founding anniversary and ceremonies for receiving awards.
- Organizing opening and inauguration ceremonies.
11. Module 11: Presentation Skills
This course provides fundamental knowledge about presentation skills: the concept of presentation, the stages of presentation, and effective presentation methods. Based on this, learners will be able to apply the course theory to presentation activities in their work and accurately evaluate the results of their own presentation work.
Content 1: The concept and role of presentations
- The concept of presentation
- The concept of presentation skills
- The role of presentation skills
Content 2: Requirements for Presentation Activities
- Content requirements
- Methodological requirements
- Requirements for efficiency
Content 3: Effective Presentation Skills
- Prepare for the presentation
- Give a presentation
- Evaluating the results
12. Module 12: Teamwork Skills
This course provides learners with fundamental knowledge about teamwork skills. Based on this foundation, learners will be able to develop teamwork skills such as group communication, group leadership, and conflict resolution. The course also helps learners build confidence and awareness of their own role in performing tasks within work teams.
Content 1: The concept and role of teamwork skills
- The concept of a team and teamwork skills
- Characteristics of work groups
- Stages of group formation and development
- The role of teamwork skills
Content 2: Requirements for members in group activities
- Requirements for the team leader
- Requirements for team members
Content 3: Teamwork skills
- Teamwork design skills
- Communication skills in teamwork
- Team meeting organization/conducting skills
- Skills in evaluating and monitoring the teamwork process.
- Resolving and managing conflicts within the team.
13. Module 13: Conflict Management Skills
This course provides fundamental knowledge and skills in conflict management, enabling learners to understand the nature of conflict, distinguish between beneficial and harmful conflicts, and learn how to prevent and resolve conflicts within their organizations and workplaces in accordance with their roles and responsibilities.
Content 1: Overview of Conflict
- The concept of conflict
- Causes of conflict
- Characteristics of conflict
- Perspectives on conflict
Content 2: Classifying types of conflict within an organization
- Classification based on relationships within the organization
- Classification by scale
- Classification by properties
Content 3: Methods for managing and resolving conflicts
- Prevent harmful conflicts
- Fostering conflict for beneficial purposes.
- Principles of conflict management
- Conflict management methods
- Conflict management process
14. Module 14: Time Management Skills
This course provides fundamental knowledge about time management skills. Based on this, learners will be able to apply the theory of the subject to effectively utilize time in organizations, businesses, and in their personal lives and work.
Content 1: Overview of Time Management
- The concept of time management
- Content of time management
- The importance of time management
Content 2: Effective Time Management Skills
- Understanding yourself
- Understanding the job
- Tidy
- Work better
- More effective communication
- Time management
Content 3: Applying time management skills in office administration
- Time management in performing office administration functions
- Time management based on job position in the office
15. Module 15: Relationship Development Skills
This course provides soft skills that enable learners to develop and improve themselves, thereby enhancing professionalism in office management and operations, and effectively contributing to the overall quality of operations of agencies, organizations, and businesses.
Content 1: General overview of relationship development skills
- Workplace relationships
- The role of relationship development skills
- Principles for developing relationships at work
Content 2: Skills for developing relationships at work
- Relationship building skills
- Relationship maintenance skills
- Relationship development skills
16. Module 16: Work Organization Skills
This course equips learners with the necessary skills to proactively and independently carry out practical tasks. As a supplementary course, work organization skills are essential for secretaries, helping them manage time and use plans scientifically and efficiently.
Content 1: Work organization, the role of work organization in an organization
- The concept of work organization
- Characteristics of work organization
- The role of work organization
- Requirements of the work organization
Content 2: Departmental Work Organization
- Define functions and responsibilities
- Staffing plan
- Define the job description.
- Assigning tasks to subordinates
Section 3: Organizing personal work
- Prioritize tasks
- Organize files
- Organize the workplace
- Information management
- Work planning
17. Module 17: Negotiation Skills
This course provides participants with fundamental knowledge about negotiation in the workplace, including the principles and requirements of negotiation, as well as the negotiation process and methods.
Content 1: General overview of negotiation skills
- Concept
- Role
- Principles and requirements of negotiation
Content 2: Negotiation Process
- Preparation phase
- Implementation phase
- The final stage
Content 3: Practice
- Negotiating with partners
- Negotiating with colleagues

18. Module 18: Building Organizational Culture
This course helps learners understand the cultural norms formed within an organization and their impact on professional activities. In particular, the course enhances learners' awareness and understanding of the role of secretaries in building, maintaining, and protecting the organization's image through the implementation of workplace cultural norms.
Content 1: General theories on organizational culture
- Concepts of culture and organizational culture
- Characteristics of organizational culture
- Factors affecting organizational culture
- Criteria for evaluating organizational culture
- The role of organizational culture
Content 2: Legal regulations on organizational culture
- The necessity of establishing legal regulations on organizational culture.
- The process of developing legal regulations on organizational culture
- Several forms of current legal regulations on organizational culture.
Content 3: Orientation and measures for building organizational culture
- Responsibilities of leaders of agencies, organizations, and businesses
- Responsibilities of the office leader
- Responsibilities of officials, civil servants, and members