According to a research from TopDev’s research, more than 55,000 IT students graduate each year, but only about 16,500 students (30%) have the skills and expertise that qualifies for what an IT business needs. So what should Vietnamese students do to “solve” the “thirst” for quality human resources in the IT industry?
Improve foreign language skills
In the process of globalization, improving foreign language skills has become a must, all professions today require English ability to a certain level. In particular, with the characteristics of the IT industry, programmers have to learn from many English documents. However, according to the Global English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), Vietnam only ranks 66 out of 112 countries in terms of English proficiency. This can be a big barrier that makes it difficult for programmers to advance in their careers, as well as creating suspicion for foreign companies when choosing Vietnam as a consulting partner and providing software solutions.
Moreover, in the context that Vietnam is gradually becoming a major source of software solutions for many markets, typically Japan; programmers should not only know English but they must spend time learning Japanese too. Therefore, to have a good career stepping stone, IT students must start improving their English right now, or even 2nd and 3rd foreign languages.
Take part in extra-curricular activities and get a certificate
For many students, participation in extracurricular activities is an essential part of their college years. Currently, there are many large technology corporations that are organizing community programs/activities at IT education/training institutions to improve the quality of future human resources.
For example, Microsoft’s Learn Student Ambassador program – encourages students in the industry to organize technology-enhancing activities/events in their communities with the resources and support from Microsoft.
In Google’s case, students can set up a Google Developer Student Club at their own university – to organize learning programs and learn about Google’s technology, or set up a Hackathons – programming competition.
These extracurricular activities will be a playground to help students hone leadership, teamwork, or event organization skills – things that are often lacking in IT students. This is also an opportunity for students to approach and learn from people who are working at major technology corporations in the world.
Participate in contests
Besides participating in extracurricular programs, participating in competitions is another way for students to enhance their profiles before entering the job search. This is an opportunity to stimulate the curiosity and logical ability of the students in the rational application of technology to solve social problems. If well developed, these projects can receive comments and pieces of advice from industry experts, helping the project go further and may become reality.
Annually, big technology corporations will organize competitions to find solutions for local social problems. Amazon Web Services organized the “Build On, Vietnam” competition exclusively for Vietnamese students, Google also launched the Solution Challenge annually for global students. In 2021, the Ambition team of Danang University of Science and Technology won the championship at “Build On, Vietnam 2021” with the Fued (The Future of Education) project to support teaching and learning remotely. Or most recently, Hoa Sen University students won the Top 3 best projects in the Solution Challenge with the Gateway project – creating an open-source system for digital COVID-19 medical declaration.
The three cases above show that Vietnamese students are fully capable of competing in international technology competitions.
Join training programs Fresher
Joining Fresher training programs is not a new thing for newly-graduated students who have no experience. IT businesses often organize Fresher training programs in order to ease the thirst for human resources.
These programs usually last about 3-6 months, the training program is up-to-date with the newest knowledge of programming languages, not only that, but the training also includes software production processes with Agile principles or soft skills. After the training phase, the Freshers will have the opportunity to practice with the On-the-job Training phase, helping them to apply the knowledge in practice, before being considered for acceptance as a full-time employee.
Currently, Fresher programs at IT companies are often recruited in batches, especially in the summer, notably, NAL Solutions already has 3 seasons of Fresher training programs.
The recruitment market is increasingly competitive, and the requirements posed by IT companies are increasing. Therefore, students need to actively learn and develop professionally from now on, to have a solid stepping stone right from the time they are still in school.
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