Choosing to study secondary school after grade 9: Aiming for dual goals

GD&TĐ - After grade 9, a number of students choose to study a vocational course early according to the 9+ training model, studying two parallel programs: high school and vocational college.

Choosing to learn a trade early, if it suits your abilities and passion, will help shorten your study time, save costs, and open up quick career opportunities.

Success from 9+ system

Mr. Ha Minh Hai is mentioned as a typical story of studying vocational secondary school after graduating from junior high school according to his interests and wishes, not as a reluctant choice because he failed to pass the entrance exam to a public high school.

“When I finished 9th grade, many people criticized me for not choosing to continue to high school. However, my parents supported me to study intermediate vocational training in Fashion Sewing at Da Nang Vocational College. I am skillful and like sewing, so choosing to study Tailoring systematically was in line with my interests and wishes. Looking back now, it was a decision that changed my life,” Hai confided.

After 5 years of working, honing his skills, and continuing to learn more about management, Mr. Hai is now the technical team leader of a famous garment company in Da Nang .

During the Career Guidance Day of Ngo Thi Nham Secondary School (Lien Chieu Ward, Da Nang City), former student Nguyen Minh Tri shared with parents and 9th grade students his experiences when choosing to study vocational secondary school after graduating from secondary school. Tri chose to study Culinary Arts and registered to study 4 more cultural subjects.

“Honestly, to study 7 cultural subjects, you have the conditions to take the high school graduation exam, have both a vocational secondary school diploma and a graduation certificate. But my teachers advised me that if I feel I cannot do both well at the same time, I should prioritize my career goals. With 4 cultural subjects, if I want, I still have the opportunity to study in college. As long as you choose the right career you love, have perseverance and discipline in studying, there will be many job opportunities,” Tri shared.

After graduating, Tri was accepted to work at a restaurant right on Da Nang's culinary street with a very good salary and support regime.

Nguyen Huu Tu Phong was one of the first students of the intermediate Marketing program at Da Nang College. After 3 years of studying the intermediate Marketing program in parallel with the high school program, Phong became a digital Marketing specialist for a startup company, with a starting salary not inferior to that of a university graduate.

Ms. Le Thi Khanh Chi - Vice Principal of Y Viet Secondary School (Da Nang), said that with service majors such as Culinary Arts, Restaurant Services, Accommodation Services, Bartending Techniques... secondary school students often go to work right after graduation and usually only continue their studies when the job position requires them to improve their qualifications.

Intermediate level students of the College of Commerce (Da Nang) do group exercises. Photo: NTCC

Practical benefits

With the intermediate vocational system for the 9+ training method, currently, vocational education institutions offer many options for learners: Program 1 only learns the profession, does not study culture, is awarded a vocational intermediate diploma; Program 2 learns the profession and studies 4 cultural subjects, can be transferred to college; Program 3 learns the profession and studies 7 cultural subjects, can take the high school graduation exam and transfer to university. The 9+ training method for junior high school graduates therefore helps learners both learn the profession and study culture, opening up opportunities to transfer to a higher level.

According to data from the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2024, more than 250,000 junior high school graduates chose to continue studying under the intermediate vocational education model, of which more than 40,000 students registered for the 9+ program at vocational education institutions that offer parallel high school cultural training.

In Da Nang (old) alone, from 2022 to 2023, the city will subsidize tuition fees for 4,896 junior high school graduates to continue studying at intermediate level, with a total amount of 32,738 billion VND. For example, students studying at intermediate level at the College of Commerce (Da Nang) are exempted from tuition fees and only pay 300,000 VND/month if they register to study the high school program with 7 cultural subjects.

Student Mai Diem Huong - Faculty of Business Administration, College of Commerce, said: "I chose to study 2 vocational intermediate programs and 7 high school subjects in parallel. The school and the affiliated unit have a balance in arranging the timetable of cultural subjects, vocational programs and practice, so the study and exam schedules are not overloaded."

According to Ms. Nguyen Yen Thao - Director of the Training and Development Admissions Center of the College of Commerce, with the intermediate level, the highest number of enrollments still belongs to service professions such as beauty care, beverage mixing techniques, food processing, restaurant operations, commercial marketing...

In fact, many students have the ability to practice and have vocational skills, but if they continue to study at high school, they will have difficulty keeping up with the program. Meanwhile, when studying at vocational secondary schools, students can practice continuously, hone their skills, and after 2-3 years, they can go to work and have an income.

Mr. Pham Thanh Buu - Principal of Ngo Thi Nham Secondary School (Lien Chieu Ward, Da Nang City), shared his experience in career guidance and orientation after secondary school: "To encourage secondary school students to boldly choose vocational training, there needs to be synchronous participation from school, family and society.

At career counseling sessions with the participation of vocational training institutions, we always recommend that these units invite successful alumni to share, creating trust for parents. At the same time, vocational schools also need to commit to training quality and connect with businesses to ensure employment after graduation."

Mr. Dinh Luong Y - Director of Continuing Education Center No. 2 (Da Nang) said that the unit is currently supporting the teaching of general education programs at the high school level (GDTX) for the following schools: College of Commerce; Polytechnic College; Nguyen Van Troi College and the National Youth Athletes Training Center with 44 classes with a total of 1,824 students. To ensure the quality of teaching general education programs, it is necessary to have close coordination with vocational training institutions in class management, and the work of homeroom teachers also needs to be closely monitored and understand the psychology of the age group.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/chon-hoc-trung-cap-sau-lop-9-huong-toi-muc-tieu-kep-post759296.html