Each year, around 4,000 students graduate from the Da Nang University of Economics of which, 2,000 are regular students.

According to a survey conducted in 1999, 90 percent of graduate students in the 1996-1999 period found jobs and 67 percent got jobs in areas suitable with their training.

The Rector of the Da Nang University of Economics, Truong Ba Thanh, said,” Our students find easier to adapt themselves to new jobs, particularly those from the accounting department can meet these requirements. However, we are concerned about their limited foreign language abilities as foreign languages are only taught at a moderate level.

 

VOVNews: In reality, many graduate students from the central region want to move to Hanoi or HCM City to find jobs while the central region faces a shortage of human resources.  What we can do to attract skilled workers to the region?

Mr Thanh: Currently, graduate students often want to work in the major cities like Hanoi and HCM City where they can have a better standard of living, higher salaries and a better opportunity to do well in life. Meanwhile, they find it difficult to find such opportunities in the central region. Salary is not the only reason as the crux of the matter is that they have less chance to advance their careers.

 

VOVNews: Currently, many local universities using similar training methods are in the same position. What do you think about this?

Mr Thanh: The Ministry of Education and Training should require universities to develop their own specialities. For instance, Nha Trang University majors in fisheries, so it needs to focus its training in this area and universities specializing in tourism, they should provide advanced training in tourism.

The central region has only one private Architectural University while it is seriously shortage of architects. However, the university provides general training with a wide range of careers, instead of focusing on architecture.

I think that each university should rearrange and promote its strengths as waste. If universities offer the same training curriculums they cannot specialize in anything.

 

VOVNews: The Da Nang Economics University is taking part in some international training programmes. How do they benefit the students?

Mr Thanh: The students are trained by foreign teachers with overseas teaching experience and Vietnamese tutors. They will be competent in English – a necessary thing in the process of international economic integration.

Since 2005, the Da Nang Economics University has worked with some universities in the US, the UK and China and is now setting up links with universities in the Netherlands. Students who pursue these training courses will study two years at home and two years abroad.

  

VOVNews: The university held a seminar entitled “training to meet social demands”. What does the university want to achieve through the seminar?

Mr Thanh: We invited 100 delegates to discuss co-operative opportunities between the university and businesses. We will sign contracts with businesses to help students get training from businesses so that they can gain real work experience and have a better chance to get suitable jobs after graduating from university.

 

VOVNews: As a training centre that supplies the region’s human resources, what factors should training include to meet the demands of the economy?

Mr Thanh: Training must provide practical knowledge, management skills and foreign language training in specific areas. Learners must be updated with latest information so the information network has to be up to scratch.

VOVNews: Thank you very much.