“Choosing solutions to narrow the gap between university training in the field of social sciences and humanities and the needs of the labor market” was the topic of the scientific discussion held on October 26, 2012, organized by the Center for Policy Research and Analysis (CRI) - University of Social Sciences and Humanities in collaboration with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Federal Republic of Germany).At the seminar, scientists, managers from research institutes, universities and employers representing businesses exchanged and discussed solutions to narrow the gap between current university training and the needs of the labor market.
In the introductory report, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Cao Dam - Director of the Center for Policy Research and Analysis - said: Vietnam's education system has been committing a series of paradoxes between training and social needs. The report focuses on the weakness of the macro management system. Specifically, it is: society is constantly modernizing but the training program is still backward; aiming for creative people but the training content is training clumsy robots; science is developing rapidly but the "standardized" training codes are frozen; the need for continuous scientific development but the honoring of "academic titles" is out of place; educational philosophy is in crisis, the research system is dogmatic; training needs fluctuate but the training plan is bureaucratic; training needs are urgent but the licensing is considered by the administration indifferently; The urgent need for autonomy in training but the idea of "empowerment" is cautious; social development is hot but the educational management system is authoritarian. Soft skills training for students is a solution to connect training in the field of social sciences and humanities with the labor market. This is the experimental result from the Rosa Luxemburg project on "Innovation of educational policy" implemented by the research team of Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (TTNC&PTCS) and MSc. Dang Kim Khanh Ly (Faculty of Sociology). Within the framework of the project, the research team organized 6 training courses on soft skills for students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities with specific skills such as: career goal setting skills, self-esteem determination skills, career search and development skills, teamwork skills, preparing job applications... From the perspective of an employer, Ms. Vu Thu Ha - Director of Hoa Mat Troi Psychology Application Joint Stock Company - said: the company has a special The company provides training and human development services and has conducted many recruitment campaigns for graduates of social sciences and humanities. Through the recruitment practice at the company, Ms. Ha said: most of the successful candidates encountered many difficulties when starting work, many of whom the company had to retrain or lay off. Candidates who were not recruited by the company or forced to quit all encountered problems in adapting to the job: lack of professional skills, lack of career goals, lack of spirit and negative working attitude, lack of communication skills... From the feedback of employers and alumni on the quality of training products, Dr. Le Huu Phuoc - Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM - in his speech expressed his thoughts on career support programs for students majoring in social sciences and humanities. According to Dr. Le Huu Phuoc, from the perspective of supporting career opportunities, the School needs to: provide employers with training products and services that the School is and will have; collect information on human resource needs and training needs of employers; design training programs that meet the requirements of employers; introduce students to employers and introduce employers to students... Also from the perspective of a training unit, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim - Vice President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU - pays special attention to the goals, challenges and solutions for training high-quality human resources - one of the top tasks of the Vietnamese education sector. Mr. Kim emphasized: a strong university that wants to strengthen its position, develop long-term, sustainably, and be able to engage in international dialogue always needs a long-term, long-term vision; management and organizational capabilities, a team of experts and financial potential. And to fundamentally reform Vietnam's education system, to build a number of leading universities that meet international regional standards, it is necessary to respect and promote inherent factors and heritage...
Many other discussions at the seminar also proposed specific solutions to narrow the gap between training and labor market needs: Solutions to improve the quality of information, job introduction and training effectiveness assessment of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - MSc. Pham Viet Hoan (Director of Mywork Job Information Portal, ISS Vietnam Joint Stock Company); Helping students integrate into their careers through building a career guidance and counseling model: The case of VNU - Dr. Trinh Van Tung (Faculty of Sociology - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU)...
