Article 2018

Game of blames: Higher education stakeholders’ perceptions of causes of Vietnamese graduates’ skills gap

International Journal of Educational Development
Journal · Vol. 62 · pp. 302-312
Abstract

This article reports a mixed-method study that explored higher education stakeholders’ perceptions of the causes of Vietnamese graduates’ skills gap. Email interviews with 38 stakeholders and a survey with the participation of 475 final-year students, graduates, academics, and employers revealed 27 factors perceived to have caused the skills gap. Among them, factors related to impractical university curriculum, constant changes in the labor market, and students’ passivity in planning and developing their career were perceived to be the most influential. The study also revealed that stakeholder groups were blaming each other for who should be responsible for the skills gap. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher education Vietnam employability career development Graduate skills gap

Index Keywords

Employment higher education student academic performance skilled labor returns to education perception stakeholder Viet Nam
Author Affiliations
Informetrics Research Group, Ton-Duc-Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ton-Duc-Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 Al-Ansari, Asim A., Factors affecting student participation in extra-curricular activities: A comparison between two Middle Eastern dental schools, Saudi Dental Journal, 28, 1, pp. 36-43, (2016)
2 Bridging the Skills Gap Workforce Development is Everyone S Business, (2015)
3 Skilling Up Vietnam Preparing the Workforce for A Modern Market Economy, (2014)
4 de la Harpe, Barbara, Major influences on the teaching and assessment of graduate attributes, Higher Education Research and Development, 31, 4, pp. 493-510, (2012)
5 Pract Evid Scholarsh Teach Learn High Educ, (2015)
6 Đỗ, Hoàng Minh, Higher and Tertiary Education in Vietnam, Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education, pp. 29-53, (2014)
7 Gibb, Stephen, Soft skills assessment: theory development and the research agenda, International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33, 4, pp. 455-471, (2014)
8 Building A High Skilled Economy the New Vietnam, (2011)
9 undefined, (2011)
10 Reforming Higher Education in Vietnam Challenges and Priorities, (2010)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
36
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers