THE STATUS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT HA NOI UNIVERSITY AFTER GRADUATION

In recent years, Vietnams education and training sector has seen many positive changes at all levels. The quality of higher education has always received great attention from the whole society. Many universities across the country are starting to make changes in management to improve training quality. The whole country has more than 224 universities in which nearly half of the universities (49%, 1939) organize undergraduate bachelors degree programs related to English, with 3 main majors: Methodology Teaching; translating and interpreting; and English Business. It can be seen that this is a training industry which requires a great demand in society. Hanoi University is one of the top schools in the country in terms of foreign language training and teaching, established in 1959. This study wishes to systematically assess the status of students graduating from over 65 fulltime English students major at Hanoi University to get an overview of the students employment situation; thereby, proposing solutions to improve the quality of teaching and curriculum in order to improve the employability of graduates.

THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION HANOI UNIVERSITY E-LEARNING CENTER GRADUATION THESIS REPORT THE STATUS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT HA NOI UNIVERSITY AFTER GRADUATION Mentor: Phạm Thanh Bình, MA Student: Full name Student code Lê Thị Hoàng Hà 0220d0444 Đào Ngọc Mỹ Hạnh 0220d0455 Trần Thị Nhật 0220d0557 Nguyễn Tiến Phương 0220d0569 Hanoi, June 2023 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀ NỘI TRUNG TÂM ĐÀO TẠO TỪ XA BÁO CÁO CHUYÊN ĐỀ TỐT NGHIỆP THE STATUS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT HA NOI UNIVERSITY AFTER GRADUATION GVHD: PHẠM THANH BÌNH, MA Họ tên SV Mã số SV Lê Thị Hoàng Hà 0220d0444 Đào Ngọc Mỹ Hạnh 0220d0455 Trần Thị Nhật 0220d0557 Nguyễn Tiến Phương 0220d0569 Hà Nội, tháng năm 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge; the content of this internship report is my own work This report has not been submitted for any other purposes I certify that the content of this report is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this report and sources used have been acknowledged Date: Signature: _ i ABSTRACT In recent years, Vietnam's education and training sector has seen many positive changes at all levels The quality of higher education has always received great attention from the whole society Many universities across the country are starting to make changes in management to improve training quality The whole country has more than 224 universities in which nearly half of the universities (49%, 19/39) organize undergraduate bachelor's degree programs related to English, with main majors: Methodology Teaching; translating and interpreting; and English Business It can be seen that this is a training industry which requires a great demand in society Hanoi University is one of the top schools in the country in terms of foreign language training and teaching, established in 1959 This study wishes to systematically assess the status of students graduating from over 65 full-time English students major at Hanoi University to get an overview of the student's employment situation; thereby, proposing solutions to improve the quality of teaching and curriculum in order to improve the employability of graduates ii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION CHAPTER THEORETICAL BASIS AND PRACTICAL WORK OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AFTER GRADUATING Advantages of Eglish language students in job searching 2 Skills and knowledge of English language students trained at Hanoi University .2 The main factors affecting the employment policy of language students after graduation .3 3.1 Scale and structure of the economy 3.2 Factors belonging to student ability CHAPTER METHODOLOGY .5 Purpose of the survey Survey content Subjects and number of surveys How the survey is finished 5 Implementation time CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Indicators reflecting the status of English graduates Analyze and evaluate the survey results Orientation and solutions to improve career opportunities of English language students at Hanoi University 13 3.1 Forecast of labor market trends ( Periods from 2020 - 2040) 13 3.2 Proposing a number of policies and solutions to improve career opportunities for English language students 13 3.2.1 Proposals relating to student’s competency 13 3.2.2 Proposals relating to University’s training 14 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 16 REFERENCES 17 APPENDIX 18 iii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION English is considered to be the most popular and widely used language in the world today with about 375 million native speakers in more than 100 countries, in which about 1,5 billion people use English in daily life The field of education has been increasingly focused, expanded on English, showing the importance of this foreign language Most educational resources worldwide, documents and books are written in English The lack of knowledge or ignorance of English will be a great inconvenience in accessing the gobal market In the period of economic opening, in order for each individual to fully accumulate the elements of a "global citizen" to work in large domestic or foreign enterprises and corporations, English is an indispensable language (Trong.G, 2022) With the trend of integration, the business is not only confined to the country, but also has cooperated with many different businesses in the world In addition, the number of foreign or foreigninvested enterprises investing in Vietnam is considerably gone up, resulting in foreign leaders and employees working in our regione Therefore, working in multi-speaking company, English become an vital key to facilitate the working processing and communications Not only foreign businesses require job applicants to have English, but sometimes it’s also an important indicator to evaluate applicants in domestic agencies This seems to be a mandatory requirement for employees when applying for jobs, although they may rarely use English That’s why mastering English (4 skills) is considered to be a big comparative advantage of English graduates when applying for a job, as well as an opportunity to get high-paid jobs, and develop yourself Candidates who can use English fluently are always appreciated because 95% of employers believe that English proficiency will greatly affect productivity and work efficiency and willing to pay 30% more compared to those who don’t know English Besides, the job opportunities of English language students will not be restricted to one specific industry or country With the characteristics of a dynamic, creative "global citizen" along with excellent language ability, graduates of English language students can work in a variety of professions with different positions in the business ("Tầm quan trọng tiếng Anh công việc", n.d) CHAPTER THEORETICAL BASIS AND PRACTICAL WORK OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AFTER GRADUATING Advantages of Eglish language students in job searching With practical training, English language graduates who have a wide career spectrum can quickly integrate into a multicultural environment and the flexibility to switch careers A study carried by Thai Nguyen University, English language can choose suitable jobs with enormous salaries as well as experience a dynamic and multicultural working environment in the following: – An expert in the fields of finance, tourism, hotel, diplomacy, import and export; – Translators or interpreters working at publishing houses, international reporters; – Secretary, foreign affairs assistant in companies, enterprises, economic groups, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – English teachers at universities, colleges, institutes, foreign language centers… With the above jobs, graduates can show their ability at: – Commercial banks, financial groups, securities companies, travel companies; – News agencies, newspapers, television stations, radio stations; – Department of diplomacy and international relations under the Embassy, nongovernmental organizations, agencies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; – Universities, language institutes, foreign language centers; – Agencies, domestic and international The professions that require English are increasing as more and more foreign-related businesses invest in Vietnam, especially young people with good skills Not only diverse in occupations, but the salary of the English language major that companies and businesses pay for fresh graduates is very attractive, averaging 400-700 USD/month (about - 15 million VND) For senior positions or at global companies, this salary can rise up to 1,000 USD/month (about 22 million VND), even higher if you have enough capacity and work experience positions ("Ngành Ngơn ngữ Anh gì? Ra trường làm gì? Mức lương bao nhiêu?", 2021): Skills and knowledge of English language students trained at Hanoi University As one of the top language university, Hanoi University has constantly developed and improved the quality of training for language majors, especially English The English language major at Hanoi University is trained for years with the language of instruction in English Students can choose one of two orientations, namely Translating-Interpretation and English Teaching Methodology orientation, training 154 credits Currently, there are 1,500 full-time university students studying English with more than 60 full-time lecturers and nearly 30 visiting lecturers and foreign experts Most of the lecturers with master's and doctoral degrees were trained in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc Students studying English at Hanoi University will have the opportunity to participate in many English projects and competitions such as ECHOES – English Speech Contest, The Reading Voice – Competition to find good English voices, EPP – Project English for students, WE READ – Extended Reading Project, Good Translation Contest, Good Speaking Contest, In addition, students also develop soft skills when participating in clubs: Voice of Hanu, HANU Music Club, Hanu Photography Club and Volunteer activities and important conferences such as APEC, IPU, Asian Indoor Games, SEA Games create a dynamic environment to experience and knowledge in the English Language Industry ("Chương trình đào tạo cử nhân hệ quy ngành Ngơn ngữ Anh 2021", 2022) The main factors affecting the employment policy of language students after graduation 3.1 Scale and structure of the economy In the period 2016 - 2022, Vietnam has achieved positive results in attracting FDI, the average investment capital is about 30 billion USD/year, and the average growth rate is about 14% per year, which greatly contribute to creating jobs, improve the quality of human resources, and provide a positive source of income for employees, promote and support domestic enterprises to develop The economy has shifted from agriculture and forestry to increasing the proportion of service and industry sectors Moreover, in the first months of 2022 alone, there were more than 464 foreign-invested enterprises (total capital of 25,927.5 billion VND) registered to business in Vietnam, an increase of 6.7%, compared to the same period in 2021 This opens up job opportunities for students who are fluent in English to work in an international environment with diverse industrial sectors (Do.T.T, 2021) 3.2 Factors belonging to student ability As regrading for a specific field of language, English Language requires you to make a lot of effort In addition to mastering the skills of listening - speaking - reading - writing well, they need to add other complementary qualities The information in the article below will help them shape and understand the right qualities for the industry Firstly, English lagnguage students have to own talent and passion for foreign languages With love, learners themselves will be passionate about exploring and learning From there, they can practice more expressive skills so that they can maximize your ability and pursue this profession for a long time Second, English lagnguage students have extensive knowledge of culture and society To grasp career opportunities at multinational companies and corporations, English language learners must be interested in interacting and working with many different cultures At that time, the accumulation of extensive knowledge about the culture - society of countries in the world is a necessary condition in the profession Third, they need to have dynamism, extroverted thinking It can be said that English language is a suitable field of study for dynamic young people with extroverted thinking Choosing English language means that they will become a cross-language and highly international bridge Along with that, in the labor market, soft skills are extremely important, namely, teamwork skills, communication skills, sense of professional ethics, ability to self-study, ability to think and solve problems topics, organizational and management skills CHAPTER METHODOLOGY Purpose of the survey - In order to obtain objective information about the training quality of Hanoi University, help the University have grounds to adjust in management, enrollment, training in line with social needs - Improve the quality and efficiency of operations, serving the development of the University Survey content - Survey on employment status of English students after graduation: employment rate of students; avarage time for English students to get a job after graduation; the knowledge and skills learned with job requirements; average monthly income; career future - Survey on employment trends of students, working sector (government, private, foreign factors or self-employment), regions, working localities, professions and social needs - Investigate why graduates are slow or unable to find jobs; what knowledge and skills students need to supplement before graduation; ideas and suggestions to improve the training efficiency Subjects and number of surveys - Audience: English language students who graduated from a full-time university - Number of surveys: 65 graduates How the survey is finished - Survey by direct question sheet - Google form survey via phone call and other forms such as via social networks (Facebook, zalo, email, ) Implementation time - From January to June 26, 2023: Collecting data and analyzing survey results - From January to May 19, 2023: Survey via software, face-to-face interviews and other methods such as calling, via social networks; - From May 19 to June 27, 2023: Synthesize and analyze the results disciplines The higher the student income, the higher the ability to meet the recruitment requirements of the employer Chart 7: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the training program (knowledge and skills) for the job When asked if the graduates find knowledge and skills being trained in Ha Noi University useful or not, none of the graduates said that they were completely dissatisfied with the university training program In which, more than 30 students (51.7%) rated very useful with their jobs, 39.7% is partially agree The majority of students believe that the training and knowledge program, along with the extracurricular programs, the good team of lecturers not only help them fully meet the recruitment requirements but also the soft skills However, some students are not really satified with knowledge being taught because they think the program is heavy on theory and lacks practice • Factors affecting the ability of English students when seeking a job Survey of important skills that graduates must have, was showed on Chart Many studies have shown that there are many different factors affecting the ability of students to find jobs after graduation The quality of students reflects their work performance through three pillars: knowledge, skills and attitudes In the factor that can be found in the survey, more than 80.7% of students think that mastering English is an important factor of a good student Proficiency in foreign languages helps candidates leave a good first impression, a higher chance to pass interviews, and receive higher salaries Besides, soft skills and attitudes also have a positive impact on the employability of fresh graduates Graduates need to have other soft skills, such as: leadership, communication, analytical thinking, to be able to secure a job 12 Chart 8: Survey of important skills that graduates must have Orientation and solutions to improve career opportunities of English language students at Hanoi University 3.1 Forecast of labor market trends ( Periods from 2020 - 2040) According to statistics, in the period from now to 2040, Vietnam will strengthen its international integration and attract foreign investment Foreign-related industries are considered as promising industries in the future when the demand for human resources is increasing and is likely to rise to the top of the human resource demand in the market With an ideal working environment and attractive salary, English language major will certainly be a great opportunity for young people With the development and international integration of Vietnam, human resources fluent in foreign languages and well-trained in professional skills will be highly appreciated as meeting the needs of international communication Therefore, the career opportunities for students with foreign language expertise are extremely rich, including foreign language pedagogy, translation, interpretation or can enter into international business, public relations, event organization to sue 3.2 Proposing a number of policies and solutions to improve career opportunities for English language students 3.2.1 Proposals relating to student’s competency In order to be able to find a high-paying and suitable job, students need to have a career orientation for themselves, constantly improve knowledge, master industry expertise, practice attitude to study and work, actively participate in skills training 13 activities in school At the same time, they have to learn and actively participate in soft skills training courses, take advantage of lecture classes and extracurricular activities to develop soft skills for yourself Moreover, lastly, to expand job’s opportunities, they also improve your foreign language skills, take IELTS, TOIEC, TOEFL exams and learn another foreign language 3.2.2 Proposals relating to University’s training Through the survey, the majority of graduates highly appreciated the University's efforts to help students complete the course with the best results There are many specific comments and suggestions from graduates to increase the employment rate of graduates: First, the school should focus on building, reviewing, adjusting and supplementing the training program in order to suit the reality and the requirements and requirements of the society; consistent with professional trends Some general solutions are suggested is that the curriculum ought to be more practice and accessible to reality The university need to give priority to training and practicing Currently, many schools only organize teaching internships, not rreal internships It is necessary to hold for students to have as many internships as possible In addition to an internship at the end of the course It can be held annually from the 1st year, when students begin to familiarize themselves with teaching knowledge such as educational psychology, rather than waiting for students to complete curriculum Internship right from the 1st year not only helps students have practical knowledge, but also helps to identify their career trends before they really stick with the teaching major from the 3rd year Besides, to improve career opportunities in many fields, students still need to be supplemented with specialized knowledge and skills in commerce, economics and management Faculty should also conduct career orientation activities for students, and recruitment requirements of employers in order to psychologically prepare and motivate students' efforts to supplement their own specialized knowledge For the translation and interpretation major, this is a profession that requires students to have good language skills, master the structure of both English and Vietnamese, in addition to a broad knowledge base in all fields Most students consider it difficult to catch up when entering the labor market, which takes time to gradually exposed to professional translation and interpretation activities Second, we should focus more on developing soft skills 14 For English language students, the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are considered an important recruitment criterion However, besides language competency and specialized knowledge, it is indispensible to focus on developing soft and other social skills for students When recruiting and interviewing, most companies will require candidates to have teamwork, adaptability, self-learning ability, thinking and problem solving ability and organizational skills Currently, training programs only provide basic professional knowledge and skills Due to the characteristics of the profession, graduates often work in a variety of jobs in all economic sector, ability to meet job requirements plays an important role Therefor, we must focus more on developing soft skills for students and creating competitive advantages for each Third, Hanoi University deed to continue and promote the connection and cooperation with employers Through connecting with localities, agencies and businesses on many contents and fields such as human resource training, scientific research and technology transfer, granting scholarships, and sharing professional experiences, it will establish a two-way information system between the University and its partners in order to fulfill the training goal of meeting social needs In the current context, the University also needs to pay special attention to coordinating with businesses to deploy potential internship programs, orientation internships, training orders for students (the first year and final year students), helping students get a favorable and rewarding internship environment and increase job opportunities for students right before graduation The school can invest more resources in activities to support learners in learning, training and living, especially supporting students to early access to the world of work They also focus on implementing programs on part-time jobs, practical experience activities; training courses, refresher courses and training courses to help students improve their knowledge, skills and professional thinking Training units need to pay attention to connecting and supporting alumni activities; maintaining a communication channel connected on the software so that students can better interact with school activities… 15