VietNamNet Bridge - The common characteristics of most of the 200,000 unemployed university graduates are the low level of professional knowledge and work skills.

Tran Thu Huong, head of the Human Resources Division of Shihen Vietnam, an electronics manufacturer, said new university graduates now have foreign language skills good enough to write curriculum vitae to provide basic information. But most of them cannot communicate in foreign languages during interviews. 

She said that some candidates tried to show their capability by uninstalling mobile phones and repairing phones. However, they could not name the accessories on a circuit board or talk about constituent circuits and electrical current direction.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, answering the National Assembly’s inquiries about the high unemployment rate, said that APO (Asian Productivity Organization) also pointed out that the higher education levels workers have, the worse skills they have compared with the world.

Eighty percent of high-ranking management officers, those who have the highest qualifications, are unable to meet requirements and need retraining by multinational employers.

While technical officers have high qualifications, 40-60 percent of them still need retraining in order to be able to undertake their jobs. 

It is a surprise that only 20 percent of workers who take simple jobs need further training.

Meanwhile, Doan Quang Vinh, deputy director of Da Nang University, said it is unfair for the public to blame training establishments for the high unemployment rate of university graduates.

Vinh said one of the reasons behind the problem is economic development: if businesses don’t make profits, they don't create jobs.

He went on to say that the training scale of universities is larger than the demand.

 Tuition is the major source of income of schools. Therefore, they try to scale up the training to improve the revenue,” he explained.

“The problem is that we lack reliable forecasts about demand for human resources and an overall plan for human resources development,” he said.

Huong from Shihen Vietnam thinks there are too many training majors offered by schools, while businesses need workers with deep knowledge in specific fields.

Regarding the soft skills that most workers lack, Huong believes that it would be better for schools to send students to businesses once a year to improve skills.

Dao Trong Thi, former chair of the Committee for Culture, Education, the Youth and Children, pointed out that the employment rate depends on several factors.

First, economic development. If the economy does not grow well, workers will stay redundant. Second, the quality of workers. It is clear that new university graduates still cannot satisfy the requirements set by employers.

Tien Phong