Willing & able

                                                          Photo: Viet Tuan

Foreign-invested enterprises are expending great effort on improving the quality of young Vietnamese human resources by closely cooperating with universities and supporting students.

For all of the four years since he graduated from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2012, Mr. Pham Van Truong has pursued a career at Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV). The chance to work for the South Korean smartphone giant came when he was a third-year student at the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications and he entered into a contest held by SEV. To his surprise he won, picking up a scholarship from the company that covered his full tuition in his final year and gave him VND2 million ($89.6) for his monthly living costs. In return, he had to work at SEV for at least one year after graduating.

The young engineer is happy with his career at SEV. “Besides being paid a good salary, working at such a large corporation like SEV gives me many opportunities to learn new skills,” he said, adding that he has rejected some attractive job offers from other companies in recent times. “The workplace environment here matches my expectations, especially in career development.” Mr. Truong is now a senior member of staff in SEV’s Research and Development (R&D) Department at SEV Bac Ninh, with him winning promotion for his effort and contribution to the company.

He is one of many students at HUST to have secured career opportunities with SEV. The company is now operating two large mobile phone factories at Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen in the north and the Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Center (SVMC) in Hanoi. In rapidly expanding its business SEV always has great demand for human resources (HR), especially in technical fields such as information technology, electronics, telecommunications, mechanics, and mechatronics, a representative from SVMC. 

Working with universities

SEV has initiated an industry-education cooperation arrangements to secure the technical HR it requires, especially at the R&D Center, since its early days. Over the last five years it has maintained cooperation with technical universities such as HUST, the Posts & Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT), the Vietnam National University - University of Engineering & Technology (VNU-UET), the Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI), the University of Information and Communications Technology (ICTU), and the University of Transportation & Communications (UTC).

By the end of this year Samsung will be providing sponsorship to and conducting regular activities with nine universities throughout Vietnam. It has made major efforts in funding infrastructure such as classrooms and equipment as well as directing training content, which help students be “job-ready” upon graduation. “These activities send a message to education institutions about the demands of industry in the hope they will supply qualified staff,” the SVMC representative said.

For enterprises with long-term development plans in Vietnam, preparing a supply of high quality HR is a key task. Bosch, one of the largest European investors in the country, also has a long-term plan for HR development as Vietnam is one of its key growth markets in the world. “We are committed to a policy of ‘local-for-local in developing HR’,” said Mr. Vo Quang Hue, Managing Director of Bosch Vietnam.

Since 2013 Bosch has invested in a dual vocational training program to grow the industrial workforce for high-tech manufacturing. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with five universities: the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, the Ho Chi Minh City International University, the Vietnamese-German University, the Danang University of Science and Technology, and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education. The partnerships offer students the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and improve their skills through an internship at Bosch. “Other efforts to develop partnerships with local universities to boost highly applicable R&D activities are also our focus,” Mr. Hue added.

Another “hot” sector is fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), which is generally short of talent for management positions, and multinational corporations (MNCs) regard identifying talent at universities as a strategic activity. “Procter & Gamble (P&G) care about the development of young Vietnamese and have had strong partnerships with top universities nationwide for many years,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Anh, Recruitment and Training Manager at P&G Vietnam. Partnerships have been struck with the Foreign Trade University (in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi), the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

The company also has different partnership programs to meet the different needs of students and help guide their long-term career aspirations. The recruitment process is fair and standardized globally, applicable not only for Vietnam-based students but also for Vietnamese studying overseas, according to Ms. Anh. “Our recruitment process is standard across all countries, to find the best talent for each role,” she said.

Improving capacity 

New Vietnamese graduates are regarded by foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) as smart, eager to learn, and hard working. Most of these enterprises, however, acknowledge that they must invest in training new graduates so they are suitable with their specific business operations. For technical HR, Samsung normally provides on-the-job training for at least six months after recruitment before the new employees can perform to the necessary level. Fresh graduates are also guided in improving their communication skills and in adapting to a professional workplace environment.

All need training to master systematic working practices, teamwork, and self-discipline. “We believe that with training either at MNCs or overseas, Vietnamese staff will become a powerful engine for development,” Mr. Hue said, adding that Bosch has built its Vietnam workforce from 20 in the early days to more than 2,400 now.

As Vietnam further integrates into the global economy, improving the quality of its HR in general and graduates in particular is essential in attracting more FIEs to the country. It must therefore develop an environment for education and training and the exercise of independence and critical thinking to encourage creativity in problem solving, according to Mr. Hue. Graduate students should be fluent in at least one foreign language. “Last but not least, education reform is needed,” he added. Education and training should aim at equipping students with knowledge, skill sets, and adaptability to evolve in a connected world. The education system and its students have to be able to change faster to meet labor market demand and seize opportunities in the era of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, etc.

Of a similar mind, Ms. Anh said that Vietnam should offer additional practical studies, covering soft skills training and equipping students with work-related knowledge. “Interactive group assignments are needed with more focus on leadership development and dealing with real business case studies,” she said. Universities and training facilities should make internships compulsory for students or offer international opportunities to students by partnering with big MNCs like P&G.

Samsung has recently introduced criteria for software developers to universities - a new approach to building capacity. The criteria not only benefits Samsung but is in line with trends around the world. “It would be great if universities in Vietnam could take action quickly to prepare IT human resources,” the SVMC representative said.

Other useful activities would include career orientation, facilitating job advertisements from enterprises, and conducting job fairs, he added. The rate of students finding good jobs after graduation should be part of a university’s ranking and reputation. “Strong cooperation between industry and universities would help in the effective use of HR,” he said. “This would contribute to maximizing the advantages of HR in attracting investment for Vietnam’s economic development.”

by Hoang Thu / vneconomictimes.com