Implementing the plan of international cooperation in training between the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) and the AlmaLaurea Association of Universities, Italy, the delegation of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, Dean of Faculty of Economics and Rural Development, VNUA, along with the representatives of the International Cooperation Office and Faculty of Agronomy, VNUA, attended the seminar entitled "Graduates and the labor market" under the framework of the MOTIVE project “Monitoring employment trends of students after graduation from Vietnamese universities” from May 18 to May 20, 2022 in Bologna, Italy.
Overview of the conference
Participating in the conference, from the European partners, there were the AlmaLaurea Association of Universities, FH Joaneum University of Applied Sciences (Austria); University of Barcelona (Spain); International Mobile and Consulting Agency INCOMA (Spain), and National Accreditation and Evaluation Agency ANECA (Spain). On the side of Vietnamese partners, besides VNUA, there were representatives of the Department of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and member universities, including Hanoi University; Telematics Academy; Central University of Art Pedagogy; Thai Nguyen university; University of Internal Affairs; Hanoi Tourism College; Ha Long University, and Academy of Journalism and Propaganda (joining online from Hanoi bridgehead).
The delegation of Vietnam National University of Agriculture and European partners participating in the conference
Opening the conference, Dr. Dorel Manitiu, MOTIVE Project Coordinator, welcomed representatives of the project's partner universities attending the conference in Bologna, Italy. This is an opportunity for the partner universities to discuss about the graduates in detail and enhance graduates' opportunities to participate in the labor market, and to discuss the next work packages of the project. The representative of the Ministry of Education and Training, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, emphasized the importance of the MOTIVE project “Monitoring the employment trends of students after graduation from Vietnamese universities”. In recent times, the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for graduates to find suitable jobs. With the cooperation of partners from Europe and Vietnam, the project has helped to build a network of stakeholders, creating a basis for universities to enhance the employability of the graduates and supporting them in the entrepreneurial process.
Dr. Dorel Manitiu, MOTIVE Project Coordinator, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education and Training, deliver a speech at the conference
Speaking at the opening session of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, on behalf of VNUA’s delegation, affirmed the university's commitment to implementing the project. This was an important project, helping VNUA to survey the employment status of graduates at the request of the Ministry of Education and Training, thereby improving the quality of training and providing career guidance services for students and graduates. Ensuring that graduates have suitable jobs is one of the important criteria of training quality.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, Dean of Faculty of Economics and Rural Development, VNUA, speaks at the conference on behalf of the VNUA's delegation
During the first working day at the conference, a number of reports related to graduates' job search skills, experiences in higher education cooperation in the world, as well as experiences in collecting and analyzing information about students. graduate students through assessment surveys were delivered. The project members also discussed about the topic of graduates in order to make suggestions to strengthen the capacity and job search ability of Vietnamese graduates.
Within the framework of the MOTIVE project, the project management team organized a writing contest entitled “Graduates and the labor market” on the topics related to graduates and job opportunities. At the conference, Dr. Dorel Manitiu – Project Coordinator awarded the best scientific article entitled “Career orientation of final year students in Vietnam in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic” by a group of students from Hanoi University. At the conference, the representative of the group of authors, student Nguyen Kim Ngan, also presented their ideas and suggestions in career orientation and job search opportunities of the graduates.
Ms. Nguyen Kim Ngan, the author of excellent articles gives a presentation at the conference
At the conference, the project's expert groups also had in-depth meetings, focusing on solutions to some outstanding issues and orientation of action plans in the coming time, as well as making some recommendations and suggesting the establishment of a National Center for Graduate Tracking.
In addition, the project member universities also discussed and planned communication activities of the project in the coming time. This was one of the important work packages, helping to expand the network of higher education institutions, organizations, students, graduates and employers to further strengthen the connection and create the platform and job opportunities for Vietnamese students.
The MOTIVE project aims to study the employment situation 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 job opportunities for graduates. The project is funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.