Virtual Replication Seminar 5: Organizing Online Classes And Job Fair

Fri, 10/04/2020 - 17:32

The Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies organized a virtual replication seminar on “Organizing Online Classes and Job Fair” for teachers and business leaders as part of project V2WORK’s (Strengthening the Vietnamese Higher Education System to improve graduates’ employability and entrepreneurship) framework. The seminar is a continuation of the fifth ToT (Training of Trainers) seminar on “Tools for Engagement through Career Centers” in Tra Vinh, under the guidance of the coordinators from the University of Alicante, University of Coimbra, and FH Joanneum University.

The seminar welcomed the attendance of Dr. Tran Dinh Lam – Director of the Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Le Hoa Thanh – Deputy Director of the Center for Career Orientation and Human Resource Development, VNUHCM-USSH; Ms. Ho Cam Nhung (MA) – a staff member of the Center for Career Orientation and Human Resource Development, VNUHCM-USSH; Mr. Tran Van Lieng – CEO of Vinacacao Joint Stock Company; and representatives from Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Tra Vinh University, Thu Dau Mot University, An Giang University, Can Tho University, and Da Nang University.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Le Hoa Thanh presented on ways to design entrepreneurship-oriented online courses for students. The content of her presentation is as follows: needs for E-learning, the definition of E-learning, the types of E-learning, the pros and cons of E-learning, and the conditions of development for online courses.

Ms. Ho Cam Nhung shared her experience in organizing a job fairs for students of VNUHCM-USSH. She opined that the current labor market demands two sets of skills from graduates: hard skills and soft skills. Empirical evidence drawn from the USSH’s Job Fair 2019 proved that employers have high and ever-increasing expectations of university training output. In order to succeed in job hunting, students are required to be adequately equipped with soft skills, such as: giving interviews, preparing CVs, public speaking, etc.

Mr. Ly Thanh Luy of Can Tho University noted common obstacles in assessing the learning outcomes of online courses and proposed that universities develop a specialized technological platform to support lecturers in organizing, managing, and assessing learning outcomes. Advocating Mr. Thanh Luy’s idea, Mr. Le Thanh Phong of An Giang University added that inconsistent internet infrastructure and online teaching equipment are difficulties needed to be addressed. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dam Xuan Van of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry agreed with the above statement and shared with the participating members some activities carried out by universities of the Northern region. Mr. Le Thanh Phong of An Giang University highlighted the fact that inconsistent internet infrastructure and online teaching equipment are difficulties needed to be addressed.

Delivering the closing remark, Dr. Tran Dinh Lam expressed appreciation for the practical values of all ideas exchanged in the seminar. He indicated that in the current landscape of Covid-19, networking, and exchanging experiences with online teaching among universities is absolutely crucial; each experience and success story shall be examined and disseminated among universities. To connect with enterprises, Career Centers have to commit themselves to the “bridge-building” role, always proactively on the lookout for opportunities to promote useful activities, such as job fairs, startup incubators, etc. It is his belief that the dissemination of V2WORK and the establishment of a University–Enterprise network would increase the chances of employment for undergraduates in the near future.