Good practicing environment helps to improve the quality of training
Working while being at university
Hue is one of the localities that can train human resources for tourism to meet the quality standards. It is even better when a tourism training institution in Hue was invited by the Government to attend a meeting to provide feedback on the quality of human resource training in tourism in the time of integration.
What makes Hue so popular is the high rate of graduates who can find jobs quickly and are highly appreciated by businesses. Many of them are able to embark on their work immediately, and not having to spend time as trainees. Some of them hold important positions in their businesses after only a few years of work. At the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism (Hue University) or Hue College of Tourism, statistics show that 80% of students find jobs in the first 3 months after graduation. Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong, Rector of Hue College of Tourism, said that these achievements were the result of a process of changing the teaching and learning methods for nearly 10 years.
"In previous years, only last year students worked on the internship program, wrapped in 1-2 months. Such time is too short; they have not been accustomed to the job yet then the internship was over. The college has actively contacted, connecting with more than 20 large enterprises to send students there to practice regularly and increase the students’ practice time. At first, businesses were cautious because they thought these students could not do the work well, negatively affecting their business. But quite the contrary, the students as interns have provided enterprises with great help. Only after one or two training sessions can they perform as a full time employee,” said Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong.
After many years of changing the teaching methods, students' time in class has been shortened. In addition to the basic knowledge required to be learned at college, students have participated in the business right in the second year. This is a favorable condition for students to familiarize themselves with the work pressure and to practice to develop the professional manner. These are what they cannot learn at college.
At the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism-Hue University, the cooperation with prestigious institutions and universities around the world has been strengthened over time. Representatives of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism said that with the enrollment quota of nearly 600 per year, the faculty’s graduates have good career prospects. It also has a high employment rate which has consistently maintained over the years at over 80%. Recently, the faculty has cooperated with some businesses in Japan, bringing students there to participate in internships and to work. Or they have collaborated with the Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland to carry out the training program of 2 + 2 (2 years in Hue, 2 years in Dublin), or 1 + 3. The students who graduate, if they want to, can stay in Ireland for 2 years. This is indeed a good opportunity for tourism students to gain international experiences and increase their employment opportunities, especially in the ASEAN region.
Foreign languages and discipline
Recently, the College of Tourism has organized two courses of Resort Management and Tour Guide according to the curriculum by Australian standard. Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong stressed that if this model of training is successful, graduates can work anywhere in the world, despite the harshest environment. The curriculum is of very high standard and very specialized. This is a model that the college is seeking to pursue and operate in the future, and the college will carry on this program no matter how difficult it is.
Not only in Hue, students of tourism all over the country are facing problems of foreign language ability. According to Mr. Vu Hoai Phuong, only good foreign language ability can help workers move freely in ASEAN. There is no better syllabus than a good working environment. During the internships, students are able to communicate directly with guests. If students cannot communicate with guests, they will be under great pressure, which forces them to learn foreign languages harder.
Discipline and professionalism in behavior manner, attitudes, responsibility for work which is not high is the situation of tourism human resources in Hue in particular and in the whole country in general. In order to overcome these obstacles, the institutions in Hue, before sending their students to participate in the internships, inform them about the regulations of the businesses and request them to follow. During the internships, the students are monitored regularly, and those who do not have good attitudes will be immediately returned to the institutions by the businesses.
The training program in cooperation with enterprises and foreign organizations will help students improve skills, and practice discipline and professionalism. These students will be a labor force which is capable of embracing the integration era.
Story and photo: DUC QUANG