The research “Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies in Vietnam: Evidence from the Bac Ninh Province” carried out by Giovanni Zazzerini, INSME Secretary General, Maria Giovanna Devetag, Associate Professor of the Department of Business and Management at LUISS University and Doan Hung, PhD student at LUISS University, in the framework of the JEB Project, has been presented on the 12th of December in Bac Ninh.
The aim of the research was to identify skills and competencies that best meet current needs of the local labor markets in the effort to increase graduates’ employability and enhance knowledge exchange between industry and education.
According to companies, graduates from colleges in search of their first job do not possess competencies that respond properly to their demands and needs. More specifically, in companies’ view graduates lack of both technical “hard” skills related to their field of study and “soft” competencies. In particular there is a lack of entrepreneurial competencies such as communication skills, team working, creativity thinking, problem solving, spotting opportunities, etc.
The results of a survey conducted among colleges and companies located in the Bac Ninh Province show that companies give higher importance than colleges to those competencies related to the entrepreneurship sphere. As a consequence it would be advisable that colleges focus on transferring the entrepreneurial competencies that companies look for. This is true in particular for leadership, vision, creativity, and ability to seize opportunities, which companies, more than colleges, consider a must-have for new employees.
Regarding how to transfer these competencies, the research shows that more attention should be given to internships in companies, accompanied by specific mandatory courses included into the regular curricula.
Source: The International Network for SMEs - INSME
