Career and employment prospects: Skills are key.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Good habits play a significant role in success.

- Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, what factors should be emphasized in training future human resources?

For a relatively long time, higher education in Vietnam focused heavily on imparting knowledge to students. Knowledge is, of course, still very important in higher education today, but it is only one of the components that contribute to a student's success, especially in the context where the once organic relationship between "industry and profession" has become loose and highly relative in today's employment trends.

Besides knowledge, there has been much discussion about two other components: attitude and skills, forming the relatively popular KASH model in educational perspectives in recent years.

Currently, education experts talk a lot about the fourth element, habits, which form a pattern (KASH). Good habits greatly determine a person's long-term success (from everyday habits like exercise to reading habits and lifelong learning...).

In some advanced education systems in Northern Europe, there is a growing emphasis on cultivating habits of success in students, as they believe that only these habits can help individuals adapt to changes in knowledge and career paths. Therefore, graduates with a strong foundation in KASH (Knowledge, Skills, and Skills) will not only ensure their survival in today's highly competitive and ever-changing job market but also lay the groundwork for long-term success.

Continuously acquire new knowledge.

- Many argue that it's not technology that will cause unemployment, but rather that their skills are no longer relevant. What is your opinion on this matter, Associate Professor?

In any production system, humans always play a central role in the production process. Even in the future, as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics increasingly replace jobs, humans will still be the main actors in managing all processes.

Therefore, it is perfectly natural for workers to quickly adapt to the demands of a new work environment. For example, consider the story of workers in 18th-century Europe who had to adapt to the Industrial Revolution and the mechanized work environment of the time, instead of destroying machinery and factories.

Therefore, the above opinion has a certain basis, although it may not encompass all the human resource issues of today's era, when technology is becoming much more sophisticated and interconnected than before. A system of skills is, of course, very important.

However, as mentioned above, in addition to skills, workers also need to constantly improve their knowledge, maintain a positive attitude towards life and work, and develop habits to adapt to changing circumstances… this will ensure success in the context of a rapidly changing production environment in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Ensuring a workforce for Industry 4.0.

- In Vietnam today, STEM education is being implemented in schools. Do you think this new educational approach is sufficient to prepare the younger generation to face future technological changes?

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) are particularly important fields of study that have been widely discussed in the education system in recent years. Globally, the countries with the highest number of students studying STEM fields (as of 2016) are China (4.7 million), India (2.6 million), the United States (0.568 million), Russia (0.561 million), Iran (0.335 million), etc. This illustrates the crucial role of science and technology in 21st-century education.

However, in recent years, the STEM model has been analyzed as lacking balance. There is talk of a more complete and comprehensive model that ensures harmonious long-term development of the workforce, in which the four aforementioned components need to be supplemented with a fifth component: Arts (in a broad sense, including knowledge of society, humanities, ethics, etc.). Accordingly, the STEAM (or STEMA) model is trending towards replacing the previous STEM model.

For example, over the past several months, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been leading numerous discussions related to the role of social sciences and humanities in the comprehensive development of education and careers in the future. In Vietnam today, many educational institutions, from primary to secondary levels, have begun to consider transitioning to the STEAM model… This shows that STEAM is and will continue to be a prevailing trend in global education in the coming years.

Thank you, Associate Professor!

According to Giaoducthoidai