The project duration is from 10/2016 -10/2019.

Project partners include:

• From Europe:
  • University of Valencia - Spain
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm - Sweden
  • Uppsala University - Sweden

• From Vietnam:
• Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
• Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education
• Hanoi University of Industry
• National Economics University
• Hue University

Project objectives:

The main objective of the project is to increase employability of university graduates in Vietnam. Due to the lack of information on the real state of employment of university graduates the project intends to perform a detailed tracer study at the partner universities. The data collected in such a study would then be examined by all partners and the outcome would be fed back to the curricula designers. This could potentially help identify the areas where the academic education offered by our partner universities is askew with the demands of the labour market. Once EVENT has begun getting data from the tracer study, the project plans to hold a meeting with the Ministry of Education and Training to introduce its methodology to other universities in Vietnam. This will potentially assist in bridging the gap in the mismatch between education and work. 

One of the most cited causes for graduate unemployment in Vietnam is lack of soft skills in recent graduates. Another objective is to design and host intensive workshops for teachers and educators in our Vietnamese partner universities, raising the awareness of the particular skills reportedly lacking in Vietnamese students. Project experts are currently implementing models on how to reach both students and university management within partner universities on the topic and have stressed the importance of raising awareness not only with university teachers but also at the level of university management as well as with the students. EVENT therefore aims to set up meetings with all the specified target groups, relying on data from the tracer study, in order to create a permanent place for soft skills development at partner universities. In order for EVENT to work towards its ultimate goal of increasing the employability of graduates in Vietnam, the project needs to rely on a collaboration between partner universities and the industry. Therefore, it has included the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs in the project. With the support from ILSSA it is strongly hoped to be able to involve representatives from the labour market in all project activities.      

Project work packages: 

- WP1: Administration around the grant management begins, partnership agreements drawn up, discussed and signed by all partners, Kick off meeting takes place, coordinator and local coordinator attend a CBHE meeting in Brussels, selection for a panel of labour market representatives

- WP2: Design, implementation and analysis of a detailed tracer study of a sample of graduates from our partner universities, in order to assess the effect of their education on the career 

- WP3: Creating career centres at our partner universities. The Vietnamese partners will supply space and furniture and the project will equip the centre with computers for students to use for online job searches, writing CV’s, printing and scanning. Videos of experts explaining successful transition to the labour market will be created in order to show to students. 

- WP4: Training of teaching staff at the partner universities on how to teach soft skill development and entrepreneurship

- WP5: The design of a web portal to be used at each university, moving forward with data collection. The portal would also house material related to job search, where student scan access a job listing.

- WP6: Quality plan for the running of the project, and measuring the results from each planned event. Certain indicators have been set in place at every stage of implementation of the project, and will be measured using appropriate methods

- WP7: General information on the project will be disseminated through a project webpage. A large dissemination event where the methodology of the tracer study will be opened up to any Vietnamese university interested, co-hosted by MOET and ILSSA

- WP8: The management of the project, setting up the management committee, reporting