AUTHORS
Ngoan-Thi Dinh, Pham Hiep
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception of Information Technology (IT) fresh graduates on employability in Vietnam. The research is based on primary data from responses in in-depth interviews from 10 fresh graduates working in the IT industry for at least 3 months. A generic qualitative approach and the employability framework of Hillage & Pollard guide this research. Interview protocol is also provided for semi-structured interviews. The findings show a strong awareness of employability among fresh graduates in terms of the assets they own like knowledge, skill, attitudes; deployment; presentation; and context of the labor market. However, the findings also point out a huge area of knowledge and soft skills which need improvement to enhance graduates’ employability. They are advanced IT knowledge, cross-sector knowledge, and a lot of soft skills such as presentation skill, communication skill, management skill, problem solving skill, logical and critical thinking skill, self-study skill, information search-skill, asking question skill, foreign language skill, and adaptation skill. The study provides valuable implications to employers, educators and new young employees in fresh graduates’ employability enhancement by pointing out weak areas for improvement.