Graduate employability: Interpretation versus expectation

You are here

Research and Development in Higher Education Vol. 35: Connections in Higher Education

July, 2012, 373 pages
Published by
N. Brown, S.M. Jones, & A. Adam
ISBN
0 908557 89 2
Abstract 

This article addresses the issue of graduate employability in higher education in Vietnam. It draws on the findings of a doctoral research dissertation on enhancing graduate employability and aims to examine the contrasting interpretations and expectations of students, recent graduates and employers regarding workplace requirements in Vietnam. It is suggested that the skills agenda that has generally been used to generate the ‘work readiness’ of university students does not adequately take account of the important issue of identity of both students and employers nor does it consider the contextual relationship of power that surrounds and is embedded within the students’ practices to build up their employability assets. A contrasting perspective is used to present debates about ‘what is needed for graduates to be employable’ in the specific context and culture of Vietnam. It is suggested that in Vietnam, not only do work-related skills mater, but also that there is a mismatch between the supply factors and the demand factors that need to be addressed in order to bridge the gap between higher education training and the labour market in Vietnam.

Keywords: graduate employability, Vietnam, higher education