Employers’ perspectives on vietnamese returnee students

Abstract

Central to the current debate on international education is the graduate outcomes of the students engaged in various modes of provision. The question raised is whether these students’ graduate attributes are welcome in their targeted regional, national and local labour market. This chapter is based on the conceptual framework, demonstrating job-relevant graduates as a key mechanism for host country human resource development and/ or capacity development for domestic higher education in addressing insufficient supply of quality skilled workforce. It reflects employers’ perspectives on the employability of Vietnamese returnees in seeking their employment at locally-based multinational companies compared with those graduated from transnational and domestic education sectors. It describes perceptions of twelve experienced senior HR managers working in various key industries in Vietnam regarding the graduates’ knowledge, skills, mindset, language and corporate culture adaptation. The findings highlight returnees and transnational education (TNE) graduates attributes as more satisfactory to local skill demands. The study shows employers’ preferences on TNE graduates’ mindset and credential language competency but in some cases, their lack of interest in returnees’ foreign language and intercultural skills.