Job opportunities in the tourism industry

Each year, the tourism industry needs 40,000 personnel, but the number of students trained annually only meets about half of that need, with only 43% receiving professional training. In the new development trends of the tourism industry, the demand for human resources in this field is increasingly high.

This information was shared during the online television counseling program "Choosing Your Future Major: Tourism and Service Sector" organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper on the afternoon of February 18th. The program was streamed live at thanhnien.vn, on the Thanh Nien Newspaper Facebook fanpage, YouTube channel, and TikTok.

UNIVERSITIES NO LONGER CONDUCT EARLY ADMISSIONS

During the program, Dr. Vo Thanh Hai, Permanent Deputy Director of Duy Tan University, outlined the planned adjustments to this year's university and college admission regulations. Firstly, universities using the academic transcript-based admission method must use the results of the entire 12th grade year (in previous years, many universities did not require the second semester grades of the 12th grade when considering academic transcripts). Therefore, candidates need to strive for the best academic performance throughout the 12th grade year to achieve the best possible admission results.

Lecturers participate in counseling, giving candidates advice when choosing to study in the tourism and service sector.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Furthermore, according to Dr. Hai, universities, despite using multiple admission methods (based on high school graduation exam scores, separate entrance exams, academic transcripts, international certificates, etc.), all conduct admissions within a single round. Therefore, this year there will be no early admission period before the high school graduation exam. Universities have the right to use multiple methods, but the converted scores from all methods must be based on a single scoring formula.

In addition, Dr. Hai also noted several adjustments that directly impact this year's admissions process, such as: no limit on the maximum number of subject combinations for each major; priority points not exceeding 10% of the admission score (excluding regional and subject-specific priority points according to the Ministry of Education and Training's admissions regulations); the minimum quality assurance threshold for teacher training and health-related fields remains the same as in previous years; the Ministry of Education and Training allows universities to use foreign language certificates for admissions, but each university has its own conversion method…

Commenting on these new points, Dr. Hai said: "The adjustments are mainly technical and not significantly different from previous years. However, with the anticipated new points in the regulations, the admission methods of universities will change. The adjustment of the university admission schedule will also affect the psychology of candidates to some extent, as there will no longer be conditional admission before the high school graduation exam as in previous years. Furthermore, it is predicted that the competition among candidates participating in the admission process this year will be greater as there are no longer quotas for each method and there is a common formula for converting scores across methods."

According to Mr. Truong Quang Tri, Deputy Head of the Student Affairs Department at Nguyen Tat Thanh University: "The planned changes to the admissions regulations will create fairer competition among candidates as early admissions will no longer be considered, and all methods will be converted according to a common formula. Students only need to focus on achieving high results in the 12th grade curriculum, preparing well for the high school graduation exam, and monitoring the latest admissions information from the Ministry of Education and Training and universities."

Ahead of the Ministry of Education and Training's planned adjustments to the university admissions regulations, universities have announced they will no longer accept early admissions applications. Ms. Nguyen Vuong Hoai Thao, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management at the University of Economics and Finance Ho Chi Minh City, stated: "The university will not accept early admission applications but will still use three admission methods: considering high school graduation exam scores, aptitude test scores, and academic transcripts."

Similarly, Master Truong Quang Tri stated that the university no longer offers early admission and uses four methods: considering high school graduation exam scores, considering academic transcripts, direct admission, and considering scores from separate entrance exams organized by the university. Dr. Vo Thanh Hai also said that, according to the draft admission regulations, Duy Tan University will not offer early admission and will only conduct a general admission round for the following methods: considering academic transcripts, considering scores from separate entrance exams, considering high school graduation exam scores, and direct admission.

Tourism is developing along three trends: increasing personalization of experiential tourism, applying technology to enhance convenience and provide novel experiences for tourists, and placing greater emphasis on individual responsibility in protecting the environment and cultural elements.

Dr. TRUONG THI HONG MINH (Head of the Faculty of Tourism - Hotel - Restaurant Management, Hoa Sen University)

WHAT DO NEW TOURISM TRENDS REQUIRE FROM STUDENTS?

Dr. Ha Thi Thuy Duong, Head of the Tourism Department, Faculty of Business Administration, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, stated that the tourism industry needs up to 40,000 personnel each year. However, in reality, the number of students trained annually only meets about half of this need, and only 43% receive professional training. "Along with the quantity, the demand for higher-quality human resources is increasingly required by society for current training institutions," Dr. Duong added.

Dr. Truong Thi Hong Minh, Head of the Tourism - Hotel - Restaurant Department at Hoa Sen University, also stated: "Along with services, the tourism industry also has new development trends. Tourism is developing in three directions: increasing the personalization of experiential tourism, applying technology to enhance convenience and provide novel experiences for tourists, and focusing more on individual responsibility in protecting the environment and cultural elements."

12th-grade students learn about service industries during the Thanh Nien Newspaper's Exam Season Counseling program held in Dong Nai last weekend.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

According to experts, the new development trends in the tourism and service sector also place new demands on human resources. Dr. Ha Thi Thuy Duong believes that having good professional knowledge, good foreign language skills, and good information technology skills opens up job opportunities, with a minimum income of around 15-20 million VND/month. However, according to Dr. Duong, those working in this field need to constantly update their knowledge of new tourism trends, improve their professional skills and abilities to meet market demands. Since tourism is a service industry, communication skills are crucial, requiring flexibility, quick thinking, and good problem-solving skills. Dr. Duong particularly emphasizes that foreign language and information technology skills are key factors for success in the tourism industry.

Ms. Nguyen Vuong Hoai Thao, M.A., also believes that every profession has both advantages and disadvantages. Studying tourism offers students abundant job opportunities; a dynamic and engaging work environment; attractive income; and good career advancement prospects.

Dr. Truong Thi Hong Minh also believes that the growth of the tourism industry in the early part of this year clearly shows the opportunities for those studying this field. According to Dr. Minh, this job will provide opportunities to interact with many people and cultures; opportunities to develop soft skills. However, potential difficulties include high seasonality, easy job turnover; high work pressure and fierce competition. Nevertheless, from her own experience, Dr. Minh affirms: "The most important thing is passion. With passion, we will be able to pursue our passion to the very end, even if there are difficulties and obstacles along the way."

Master Truong Quang Tri further emphasized: "If one has enough passion and love for tourism, combined with the knowledge and skills acquired - especially foreign language skills - those studying tourism will succeed in the profession."

Challenges facing human resources in the tourism and service industry.

According to Master Tang Thong Nhan, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Tourism - Restaurant - Hotel Management at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, "The developing tourism industry will offer many job opportunities and career advancements. Nowadays, with technological changes and the reduction of administrative procedures and human effort, you must constantly update your skills. Even a slight neglect of technology will allow you to be overtaken." Furthermore, according to Master Nhan, climate change and political instability are also objective challenges that can affect jobs in this field.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-hoi-viec-lam-nganh-du-lich-dich-vu-trong-xu-the-moi-185250218200818701.htm