Sending students to study and work at top 100 Vietnamese enterprises

Member schools of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics will send students to study and work at businesses in the top 100 Best Places to Work in Vietnam.

Mr. Huynh Quang Hien, CEO of Ho Chi Minh City Regional Operations, Central Retail Group, shares the perspective of a business that wishes to accompany students' internship activities - Photo: TRONG NHAN

On the afternoon of December 9, UEH.ISB Talent School (Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics ) launched a model of sending students to do internships at businesses in the top 100 Best Places to Work in Vietnam, according to Anphabe's list.

1,000 students to participate in the experiment in 2026

The program is operated according to a three-party model of school - enterprise - professional unit. There are three semesters each year, each semester cooperates with four top 100 enterprises, a total of one student can practice at 12 enterprises/year.

In the first semester of 2026, students will have an internship at Central Retail, Guardian, L'Oréal and La Vie. The total number of students expected to participate in the internship program is 1,000.

Before each semester, students attend foundational orientation sessions conducted by lecturers and experts from businesses. They are equipped with working style, observation and data recording methods, and working standards in real businesses, from how to walk in the store to how to observe service criteria.

During 2-4 weeks, students participate in two groups of tasks including Mystery Shopper (surveying customer experience according to the 3C model including business - customer - competitor) and Shadowing Sales Activation (observing - supporting sales activation activities).

Standardized tasks based on real processes of retail, FMCG and modern trade businesses.

Unlike traditional internships, students present reports and receive feedback from business managers, instead of line staff. Students have clear shifts, targets, and supervisors like full-time employees.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Ha Minh Quan, Principal of the school, emphasized that the activity will create a bridge between teaching - experience - assessment, helping students shape their career thinking early and clearly understand their strengths and areas that need improvement.

This contributes to improving output quality and increasing students' competitiveness in the context of a rapidly changing labor market.

"If we just stop at inviting businesses to share, we cannot expect students to be ready to work. They need a real environment where they have to witness, process and take responsibility for specific results," he said.

Businesses say recruitment is difficult and 'ready'

The Hult International Business School 2024 survey found that only 24% of students are confident that they are competent when entering the working environment, while 96% of employers expect universities to better prepare students.

A report by the Chartered Management Institute also noted that nearly 80% of businesses assessed students as "not ready for work".

Dr. Le Huynh Phuong Thuc (Talent Connect Plus) shared that because she used to lead businesses, she understands the concern of businesses that new graduates have knowledge but lack many basic working skills, increasing training costs.

"Enterprises want graduates to have had more exposure during their studies to gain more experience and practical skills. The more exposure they have to large, complex businesses, the easier it will be for them to adapt when entering the job market," she commented.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dua-sinh-vien-di-hoc-va-lam-tai-doanh-nghiep-top-100-viet-nam-20251209170349937.htm