Workshop on “Survey on the employment status of graduates at universities and institutions in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic”
From Octocber 26th to Octocber 29th, 2021, the project “Monitoring employment trends of Vietnamese students after graduation” (MOTIVE) organizes the workshop “How to survey the employment status of graduates at universities and institutions in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic”. The workshop is hosted by Thai Nguyen University (TNU). In the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, the workshop takes place online via Zoom platform.
Participating in the workshop, there are the Department of Political and Student Affairs, Ministry of Education and Training; Association of AlmaLAurea Universities. Partners from Europe include the University of Barcelona (Spain) and the Spanish National Assessment and Accreditation Agency ANECA.
Vietnamese educational institutions include: Hanoi University; Thai Nguyen University; Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology; Central University of Art Education; Vietnam National University of Agriculture; Universtiy of Internal Affairs; Hanoi University of Tourism; Ha Long University; Academy of Journalism and Propaganda.
The workshop is also attended by new members including Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Thu Dau Mot University, Ha Tay Community College, Phan Thiet University, Da Nang University, Nha Trang University, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Vinh Industrial University.
Giving speech at workshop, Assoc. Prof. Tran Thanh Van, Vice President of Thai Nguyen University welcomes the member universities, emphasizes the importance of surveying the employment status of graduates and using the survey results to improve the quality of training.
Assoc. Prof. Tran Thanh Van, Vice President of Thai Nguyen University
On the first working day, the topic “The participation of the Ministry of Education and Training in spreading the results of the Motive project to Vietnamese educational institutions” presented by Mr. Bui Tien Dung, Principal Officer of the Department of Political Education and Student Affairs, Ministry of Education and Training and work package quality assessment report 7.2 by Prof. Daria Lucisnkaya.
Ms. Dang Thi Phuong Thao, Director of the Italian Language and Culture Center – Hanoi University, National Coordinator of the project presentes the report on the development and expansion of the MOTIVE project to universities and colleges in Vietnam. On that basis, the members discuss the communication plan and further work of the project.
Ms. Dang Thi Phuong Thao, Director of Italian Language and Culture Center – Hanoi University, National Coordinator of the Project presents the results report
The members agree that in the next workshop, each member school will introduce and communicate to 2 other universities and colleges to participate in the MOTIVE project. At the same time, project members need to increase the participation of enterprises in the project.
Members have also reported the implementation of the employment survey of graduates in 2020. Universities have completed revisions to the questionnaire after receiving sample questionnaires from the Project and student surveys.
It is expected that in November 2021 universities will complete surveys with graduates through increased contact with students through phone, email and social media. Vietnam National University of Agriculture will be the focal point for compiling data and preparing a joint report of the project on the employment situation of graduates.
In 2021, due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, the survey of graduates meet difficulties. In addition, some students change their contact information after graduation or do not keep in touch with the university. These factors have affected the percentage of students participating in the survey.
The members discuss in groups about solutions and directions to improve the quality of the graduate survey such as: organizing surveys with the unified direction of the University Board to all units; informing to graduates on different platforms and repeatedly.
Unviersities also need to build effective communication systems with graduates and need to combine MOTIVE project questionnaires with school questionnaires to avoid students having to do multiple surveys at the same time. The retention of an alumni association plays a very important role in ensuring the engagement of graduates.
The workshop is also listened to graduates about job opportunities, applying knowledge and skills learned to work and feedback on employment status questionnaires. Students believe that the survey is a very effective method to assess employment status, the language is easy to understand. However, the questionnaire is quite long and detailed, so some students hesitate to participate.
In addition, students also emphasize soft skills, foreign language skills, information technology, teamwork and scientific research… play important roles for future work. Students also need to actively find suitable part-time jobs for the training major to gain experience.
However, students need more support from the university to be able to participate more actively and confidently in the job market. Universities need to increase activities to support job search and career guidance. In the first time of working, students should not be afraid of difficulties and suffering.
The workshop “How to survey the employment status of graduates at university institutions in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic” takes place as planned and achieves the set contents.
In the near future, the project will continue to complete the graduate survey. The project will also focus on developing a network of businesses, promoting connections with businesses on the http://motive.edu.vn platform to create suitable job opportunities for students.
The MOTIVE project aims to study the employment status of graduates in Vietnam and promote cooperation between universities and businesses. The project also aims to strengthen the connection between students and businesses to improve employment opportunities for graduates. The project is funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.