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Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning

Soft skill development for employability: A case study of stem graduate students
at a Vietnamese transnational university
Christina W. Yao, Minerva D. Tuliao,
Article information:
To cite this document:
Christina W. Yao, Minerva D. Tuliao, (2019) "Soft skill development for employability: A case study of
stem graduate students at a Vietnamese transnational university", Higher Education, Skills and Work-
Based Learning, https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
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https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
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Soft skill
Soft skill development for development
employability for
employability
A case study of stem graduate students at a
Vietnamese transnational university
Christina W. Yao Received 12 March 2018
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, and Revised 16 May 2018
26 June 2018
Minerva D. Tuliao Accepted 12 July 2018
Department of Educational Administration,
College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln,
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore graduate students’ perception of how soft skills are developed
at a transnational university in Vietnam, and how these soft skills contribute to their perceived employability.
Design/methodology/approach – This study utilized a qualitative case study method. In depth,
semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 graduate students at Vietnamese–German University.
Findings – Findings suggest that faculty utilized classroom-based practices to provide students the
opportunity to enhance soft skills that are perceived to contribute to employability, such as skills related to
independent work, interpersonal relationships and the ability to work in global contexts. In addition,
interacting with international faculty played a large part in providing students the opportunity to develop
their independent skills, critical thinking, communication and cultural competence.
Practical implications – Implications include multiple approaches, including faculty training, curriculum
development and learner preparation. Institutions must consider how their curriculum contributes to the
development of soft skills and how international faculty are prepared to engage meaningfully with students,
particularly within specific global and political contexts. In addition, graduate students must also be prepared
to engage in a classroom that promotes group work, class presentations and independent work.
Originality/value – This study provides insight on how a transnational institution can foster soft skills for
employability in graduate students in Vietnam. Considering the growth of collaborative transnational
institutions in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, findings and implications from this study provide
recommendations on how to better prepare graduates for employability within a global economy.
Keywords Vietnam, STEM, Employability, Graduate education, Soft skills, Transnational universities
Paper type Research paper

Higher education has a critical role in the economic and workforce development in Vietnam.
The World Bank (2013) reported that with the increase of professional and technical jobs in
Vietnam, the demand for educated workers with the appropriate training has grown. As a
result, workers need to have “analytical and interpersonal skills” (The World Bank, 2013, p. 42)
as a way to contribute to the needs of employers. In turn, higher education institutions in
Vietnam must reconsider their approaches toward effective teaching methods, soft skill
development and support for university students’ transition to the workplace (Tran, 2013) as a
way to contribute to overall graduate employability.
Part of the strategy for increasing educational standards includes an emphasis in
producing skilled workers to contribute to the country’s economy as a way to increase
graduate skills, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and maths fields (STEM).
Currently, skills from recent graduates are not matching the needs of the developing
Vietnamese economy (Tran, 2015). In addition, globalization, which is “the increased Higher Education, Skills and
Work-Based Learning
integration of the world economy,” (Altbach, 2016, p. 5), adds increased pressures for © Emerald Publishing Limited
2042-3896
Vietnamese institutions to prepare graduates for the increasingly globalized market economy. DOI 10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
HESWBL Much of the problem stems from curriculum and instruction being incongruent with
work skills, including teaching methods that do not encourage active learning or practice
skills development (Nguyen, 2011). As Vietnam struggles to meet the needs of a more
globalized economy, higher education institutions play a critical role in developing the skills
of the future workforce. Vietnam’s new market-based, global economy requires workers to
not only possess technical skills, but also general skills such as being able to communicate
well, understand English, work with a team, think creatively, take initiative and work
independently under pressure (Pham, 2008; Tran, 2013, 2015; Trung and Swierczek, 2009).
In addition to the challenges in graduate training, the current educational system in
Vietnam is unable to meet the rising demands of higher education (Ashwill, 2006).
As a result, the Vietnamese Government formed transnational education partnerships as an
additional strategy for preparing graduates for the global economy. Transnational
education is defined as “study programs where learners are located in a country other than
the one in which the awarding institutions is based” (Wilkins, 2016, p. 3). Benefits of
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transnational partnerships for sending countries include increased global visibility and
economic gain, which are typically foreign institutions from the USA, the UK and Australia.
Receiving or host countries, which in this case is Vietnam, gain access to what are perceived
to be world-class universities as a way to fill the growing demands for higher education
(Altbach and Knight, 2007).
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam has partnered with several
foreign countries and institutions in an effort to address skill development and provide
global workforce training for their students, including Germany, France and Japan.
For example, Vietnamese–German University (VGU), the site for this current study, is a
collaborative transnational institution that is a partnership between Germany and Vietnam.
Located in Southern Vietnam, VGU attracted students because of English language
instruction, student-centered teaching practices and low cost for quality education (Yao and
Collins, 2018; Yao and Garcia, 2018). As a result, graduate students reported that their
experience at this transnational institution allowed for expanded employment options
post-graduation (Yao and Garcia, 2018). Yet in order to gain a full picture of the intersection
of transnational education and employability, a deeper understanding of how this
transnational institution develops STEM students’ soft skills for employability is needed.
Utilizing case study methodology, we seek to understand how soft skills are developed in
graduate students at VGU, predominantly an engineering and technology transnational
university, as related to students’ perceived employability. We examined the types of soft
skills participants developed and how these skills are perceived to be useful for participation
in the global economy. Findings from this study emerged from a larger study that
questioned, “what are graduate students’ academic experiences at VGU?” The findings from
this study contribute to a better understanding of how institutions can meet the
employability and soft skills needs in market-driven countries. By giving attention to
student experiences, we can understand the challenges and opportunities for Vietnamese
students, especially related to their professional goals and national priorities in STEM.

Employability in STEM in Vietnam


As of 2015, Vietnam ranks 10th of countries that produced the most engineering,
manufacturing and construction graduates in the world (World Economic Forum, 2015).
This ranking is reflective of the country’s efforts over the past 25 years to become a more
industrialized economy. This transition included shifting focus from the agricultural sector
to the manufacturing, construction and service sectors. In addition, young graduates
are increasingly entering professional and technical occupations due to large returns on
educational investment and developing these graduates’ skills to support “new,” more
skill-intensive and less manual jobs have become priorities (Bodewig et al., 2014).
Though employers still consider technical skills important, they equally expected new hires Soft skill
to possess generic, cognitive and behavioral skills, such as being able to solve problems and development
interact with non-colleagues (Bodewig et al., 2014). Yet not enough graduates possessed for
such skills to become highly employable after graduation (Tran, 2015).
Vietnam’s economic focus requires workers to possess both technical and generic skills employability
in all fields (Pham, 2008; Tran, 2013; Trung and Swierczek, 2009). Generic skills represent
non-technical or non-technological characteristics that support any discipline and can be
transferred to a range of contexts in higher education or the workplace (Devadason et al.,
2010). Generic skills are sometimes referred to as portable, people or transferable skills, or
competencies, abilities and capacities (Devadason et al., 2010; Ellis et al., 2014; Tran, 2013).
Generic skills may also include personal attributes that ensure sustainable employment
such as loyalty, commitment, honesty, integrity, ability to deal with pressure, motivation
and adaptability (Devadason et al., 2010).
In Vietnam, the term “soft skills” is most often used to refer to a similar concept. Tran
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(2013) found that soft skills were perceived as more important than professional knowledge,
and that the development of soft skills in higher education was essential for success at
school, work and life. Important soft skills in Vietnam’s labor market include teamwork,
communication skills, independent working skills, presentation skills, social understanding
and decision making (Tran, 2013).

Soft skill development in Vietnamese higher education


Several studies point to the significance of soft skills in both STEM and STEM-related
professions. For example, Lau et al. (2016) surveyed senior information technology (IT)
professionals to identify what skills were important in their field. Aside from job-specific
skills, a wide range of personal and problem-solving skills were found to be important to
their profession at present and in the future, including the ability to manage conflict and
work in multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural environments. Fluency and communication in
more than one language was also highly valued in professions involving information and
communications technology (Lau et al., 2016).
Similarly, Thang and Wongsurawat (2016) found that English language skills,
adaptability and soft skills were crucial to the self-perceived employability of Vietnamese IT
graduates. The five soft skills in their study (i.e. communication, teamwork, professionalism,
problem solving and lifelong learning) all strongly and positively impacted self-perceived
employability. These findings resonate with Duy Nguyen et al.’s (2004) study on engineering
construction. They found that construction success factors included competent project
managers with effective teamwork and communication skills, as well as the ability to
engage with internal and external stakeholders through constant clarification and
dissemination of information.
As a result of these employment needs, Vietnam has focused on increasing the skills of
the workforce in the transition to a more modern society. Skill shortages in Vietnam are
reported to be greatest in businesses with international links and among employees
expected to do complex tasks (Bodewig and Badliani-Magnusson, 2014). Technical skills are
still in demand but employers desire broader skill sets that include cognitive, social and
behavioral skills (Bodewig and Badliani-Magnusson, 2014). Thus, higher education
institutions in Vietnam have prioritized the soft skill development of future workers by
promoting effective learning approaches.
Trung and Swierczek (2009) found that interactive learning approaches, relevant
extra-curricular activities, proper study facilities and varied teaching methods facilitated
the development and delivery of soft skills. Employers seek graduates with developed s
oft skills, problem solving, learning, interpersonal, information-processing and
written communication skills, yet many of these skills were neglected by the university
HESWBL curriculum in Trung and Swierczek’s study. Thus, a disconnect between university
curriculum and soft skills development existed which contributed to graduate
competencies not matching employer needs.
Universities have attempted to integrate soft skills in the curriculum, but have faced
certain setbacks (Tran, 2013). Similar to Trung and Swierczek’s (2009) findings, Tran (2013)
found that students and graduates were dissatisfied with their soft skill development at
their universities. Much of the critique was on ineffective traditional teaching methods,
outdated university curricula that do not support the skill development of a modern
workforce, a heavy focus on knowledge-based exams, weak assessments of learned soft
skills and lack of extra-curricular activities, all of which contributed to a lack of support for
soft skill development. Students in Tran’s study also expected for soft skills to be taught as
a separate subject, failing to see the link between being actively engaged in class and soft
skill development.
In developing soft skills of STEM students, there is a strong support for the use of
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student-centered, active learning approaches. For example, critical thinking skills increased
among science undergraduates who went through group-based learning and wrote
individual reflective reports (Kim et al., 2012). In Hong Kong, critical thinking skills also
increased among nursing undergraduates randomly assigned to the problem-based group
vs the lecture-only group (Tiwari et al., 2006). The problem-based group underwent a variety
of student-focused activities including constructing and analyzing cases, and working with
a group to generate objectives, synthesize and present information. In an increasingly
market-driven economy where STEM graduates are expected to possess a wide array of soft
skills (Felder et al., 2000), the use of varied teaching and learning strategies for soft skill
development of STEM students is more critical than ever before.

Conceptual framework
In this study, perceived employability was utilized as a way to frame participants’ approach
to their soft skill development in their coursework. As a broad concept, employability is
viewed as the individual’s ability to self-sufficiently gain initial quality employment,
maintain it and obtain new employment if required (Hillage and Pollard, 1998).
Employability also includes “having a set of skills, knowledge, understanding, and
personal attributes that make a person more likely to choose and secure occupations in
which they can be satisfied and successful” (Knight and Yorke, 2004, p. 280).
Within the broad concept of employability is the implied subjective perspective of
perceived employability (McQuaid and Lindsay, 2005). In an increasingly competitive and
turbulent job market, workers who believe they are highly employable and can manage
their own careers have a greater sense of security and self-determination because they
perceive that there are alternative opportunities available for them (Clarke, 2009; Fugate
et al., 2004; Parker et al., 2010). Higher education must not only strive to develop the soft
skills and attributes associated with graduate employability, but also nurture the perceived
employability and self-assurance of future graduates so they may cope with the turbulent
job market ( Jackson and Wilton, 2017). In this particularly study, we seek to understand
participants’ soft skill development with regard to their perceived employability priorities.
Themes related to soft skills or personal, generic attributes were noted if participants
perceived them as valuable to their career goals or eventual employment.

Methodology
We utilized case study method (Yin, 2014) at a single site institution. Case study research
was appropriate for this study because we seek to “understand a real-world case and
assume that such an understanding is likely to involve important contextual conditions”
(Yin, 2014, p. 16). In this embedded single case study, the institution served as the case with
each participant as an embedded unit of analysis. Analyzing the experiences of the Soft skill
participants (i.e. units of analysis) provided a better understanding of how the institution development
(i.e. VGU) contributed to the phenomenon of soft skills development for employability. for
Case description
employability
The findings for this paper emerged from a larger study in which we questioned: What are
graduate students’ academic experiences at VGU? Founded in 2008, VGU is a public
university that resulted from an agreement between the Vietnamese MOET and the Hessen
State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK) in 2006. In addition to
Hessen, VGU also collaborates with other German states. Graduates receive degrees that are
conferred by the German partner universities associated with their degree program.
Currently, VGU issues confirmation certificates of students’ graduation, with future plans of
VGU conferring joint degrees in collaboration with German universities. Similarly, other
transnational institutions include partnerships with France and Japan. In addition, all of
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these transnational institutions emphasize science, technology, engineering and maths as


the primary programs of study.
All instruction and professional communication at VGU is conducted in English, and
German “flying faculty” teach most of the coursework. The flying faculty travel to Vietnam
and teach two-week long courses at a time. Students attend intensive two-week long classes
on one course topic that is typically taught by the German faculty. Although there are
currently some permanent faculty who are Vietnamese nationals, the strategic plan for VGU
includes employing primarily German-trained Vietnamese faculty.
Students in a previous study reported that German faculty used student-centered
practices to facilitate learning in the classroom (Yao and Collins, 2018). Faculty would
engage students through collaborative learning as a way to maximize engagement with
course materials. Flipped classrooms and group work were most effective in contributing to
graduate students’ learning. In particular, “group work was often mentioned as being the
most effective way to learn complex course materials” (Yao and Collins, 2018, p. 11), which is
in direct contrast to traditional rote teaching in Vietnam (Harman and Bich, 2010; Thanh,
2010, Tran, 2012). In addition, findings from this study indicated that the pedagogical efforts
of German faculty led to increased understanding of complex course content as well as
understanding courses taught completely in English, which was not the primary language
of participants. Overall, students found that as a result of international education and low
cost, studying at a transnational university contributed to their overall preparation to work
in the Vietnamese and global economies (Yao and Collins, 2018; Yao and Garcia, 2018).

Participants and data collection


Participants were recruited by the first author who sent e-mails through gatekeepers at VGU.
Eligible participants included any graduate student who was enrolled full-time in one of
VGU’s six graduate programs. After receiving approval from her institution’s Institutional
Review Board (IRB), the first author traveled to VGU in Spring of 2015 and conducted
face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 24 graduate students, each of whom chose their
own pseudonym. Nine of the participants identified as women and 18 were first year students
in their master’s degree programs. At the time of the interviews, VGU offered the following
full-time graduate programs: Mechatronics and Sensor Systems Technology, Sustainable
Urban Development (SUD), Business Information Systems, Computational Engineering,
Traffic and Transport, and Global Production Engineering and Management (GPEM).
Prior to the start of each interview, participants signed a consent form that outlined the
purpose and procedures for the study. In addition, the consent form included information
about any potential risks or discomforts (of which none are known related to the topic) and
ensured confidentiality of information gathered by the interviewer. Finally, before starting
HESWBL the interview, the interviewer reminded all participants that they had the right to stop the
interview and/or withdraw from the interview at any time. Consent forms and consent
procedures were all approved by the first author’s IRB at her institution.
Each interview lasted approximately 60 min in a private conference room and was
conducted in English, all of which allowed participants to share their lived experiences
(Charmaz, 2001). Interviews were semi-structured, and some examples of questions include,
“What do you think are the benefits of attending VGU instead of another university in
Vietnam?” and “What are outcomes you hope to achieve as a result of getting a graduate
degree from VGU?” All participants consented to audio recording of the interviews, which
were transcribed in an ongoing basis after the completion of each interview. The first author
wrote memos and notes after each interview as a way to develop rich descriptions of the
participants and their experiences.

Data analysis
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A team of four additional researchers conducted coding and analysis after the first author
returned to the USA. We first made categories that were based on the research questions and
conceptual framework from which we interpreted emerging themes (Rossman and
Rallis, 2003). We utilized deductive coding, which includes a “start list” (Miles et al., 2014,
p. 81) based on this study’s interview protocol and conceptual framework. We first searched
for broad categories and then developed themes that emerged from the interviews. Themes
were coded by identifying appropriate phrases that related to our themes.
After concluding first cycle coding, we moved on to second cycle coding by grouping
those phrases into a smaller number of themes (Miles et al., 2014). We organized the first
cycle codes by clustering them under common themes or patterns that emerged from the
interviews. We continuously refined the pattern codes until we felt the final codes were
representative of the participants’ experiences. Using direct data sources and multiple
researchers in the coding and analysis process allowed for effective triangulation of data
(Merriam, 2009) and reliability of procedures (Creswell, 2007). Reliability included
conducting multiple reviews of audio data and transcripts in order to understand and
interpret inflection and meaning. In doing so, we were able to confirm that our
interpretations were representative of participants’ lived experiences.
Reliability often lies within the researcher who is the primary instrument for data
collection. As such, the investigators’ positionality was used as a form of reliability (Merriam,
2009). As the researchers, we were aware that reflexivity affected how we made meaning of
participants’ worldviews. The first author, who traveled to VGU to conduct the interviews,
identifies as an US-born first-generation Chinese–American whose primary language is
English. This author had traveled to Vietnam for a previous study tour while in her doctoral
program, and recognizes the privileges and benefits of her US citizenship when conducting
this research project. Her position as a US-trained researcher provided access and acceptance
by her participants and the research site. She benefitted from the outsider status as a western
scholar, and at the same time, also benefitted as an insider who had prior experience in
Vietnam. The second author was born and college-educated in the Philippines. As a current
international doctoral student in the USA, she can relate to the experiences of the participants
in this study as a Southeast Asian studying at a university that follows a western-based
curriculum. Having completed her basic and secondary education in the Fiji Islands, and
working in multinational corporations prior to pursuing doctoral studies, she is also aware
that her background may frame her perspectives and biases about international education.

Findings
Participants reported that their institution and program helped develop their skills related to
interpersonal relationships and independent skills. In addition, participants found that their
soft skills development improved in building work relationships, global competency and Soft skill
career-specific training. In fact, several participants stated that soft skill development was development
more important than technical knowledge, which are highlighted in the subsequent findings. for
Findings from this study are organized into the following categories: soft skill
development for independent skills and soft skill development for interpersonal employability
relationships. We utilized the voices from the participants to illuminate the findings
related to soft skills for employability. We then conclude with some findings related to the
importance of soft skill development for perceived employability within the global market.

Soft skill development for independent skills


One emergent theme pointed to the importance of having independent skills for
employability. Many participants discussed the importance of working independently, life
skills, critical thinking and research skills. Anna, a second-year master’s degree student in
the Traffic and Transport program, shared that VGU helped her gain technical knowledge
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in addition to soft skills. Anna stated that VGU helped with developing “another skill,
I think like life skill. Now I’m getting better my life much more than before. And I can work
for less stress […] more than before.”
Although some participants shared their life skills development, most participants
emphasized the importance of critical thinking skills. For example, Steve, a first-year
master’s student in Mechatronics and Sensors Technology (MST), recalled an experience in
the classroom, sharing, “I think more critically than before. ‘Don’t believe what teacher say
or said,’ that German professor teacher told me. And I have some democratic thought and
[…] I am very confident to learn.” Here, classroom experiences opened the opportunity for
Steve to confidently exercise critical thinking.
Similarly, by interacting with German professors in the SUD program, Melissa
appreciated the diversity in thought that exercises logical and critical thinking:
They have the broad knowledge that one problem [can be] seen in different ways. […] logical
thinking, something critical thinking. Because when you work, when I work, many problems
will happen. So how do you solve the problem? How do you deal with?
Melissa later shared that soft skills development is the reason she attended a transnational
university, stating that if she had chosen to attend a Vietnamese university, there would not
have been as much critical thinking development.
Many participants credited their German faculty for fostering their independent working
and research skills. Most participants shared that their independent skills were developed
through assigned work accomplished outside of the classroom. Harry described how faculty
in the MST program would provide study materials, including outside websites and sources
for reference. In doing so, Harry and his peers were able to go beyond the lectures to learn
more about the course content. Harry elaborated by stating:
We have the source to know where to start studying instead of just reviewing our lecture in the
morning, but besides that, we also finished reviewing our lecture at night, when we have more time
to doing our own research, our own studying and working. And we can also prepare some
questions when the next morning, we come to class and ask him, “so how does that work” and
“what does it mean?”
Fat Ray, a second-year in the GPEM program, shared a similar experience with his faculty.
When asked about effective teaching practices, he shared that his German professors
would do two things: lecture in class and then assign exercises or projects after class.
He stated that his homework or out-of-class projects often included independent research.
Fat Ray found value in conducting out-of-class work which was often done using the
internet, stating that his faculty would often say “Google is your friend.” Thus, Fat Ray
HESWBL was able to gain additional content knowledge while at the same time develops
independent working skills.
Steve also found the faculty supportive of independent as well as group work. His faculty
would often divide them into groups which he said was “so much fun.” Yet after group
work, each student had to return to individually doing their own work because “everybody
has to study on his own.” A self-proclaimed private person, Steve found value in studying as
a group yet at the same time, he also enjoyed staying in his room to do his own independent
studying. Thus, Steve’s experience is an example of effective group work learning that
would also foster independent working skills.

Soft skill development for interpersonal relationships


Several findings centered on the development of soft skills for building relationships with
others. These included skills in interpersonal communication, negotiation, cooperation,
working in teams and understanding others from different cultures. Students recognized the
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importance of communication and negotiation in order to build relationships at work. These


working relationships span across job levels: working with supervisors, co-workers, groups,
customers and suppliers. When asked about his decision to attend VGU, Joshua, a first-year
in GPEM, shared that part of the reason for choosing VGU was so he could develop soft
skills. Joshua explained his belief in the importance of soft skills, stating:
It’s very difficult to get the cooperation from people and of the managers. It’s better to manage
people to get the cooperation between them, and also we can convince them not only to make their
work, but also make them feel something like persuasive or something like that. When negotiating
or communicating with the supplier, the soft skill also very important.
Bong, a first-year student in Traffic and Transport, shared Joshua’s belief in the importance
of communication skills. Bong’s philosophy for necessary interpersonal skills was
influenced by how he perceived supervisor and employee relationships. When discussing
his relationship with future supervisors, Bong stated that he would likely work in an
international company and it is imperative to work well with supervisors from different
cultural backgrounds. His choice in attending VGU was influenced by his future
employment plans, as he felt Vietnamese universities were ineffective at training students in
soft skills. Bong stated that his relationship with his future supervisor may not always be
positive; thus, it was imperative for him to learn to navigate the interpersonal dimensions of
his work. Thus, developing strong interpersonal skills were extremely important to him so
he will be able to maintain a collegial working relationship with his supervisor.
As Bong mentioned, studying at a western-based university was critical in his future
employability. Harry, in the MST program, agreed, emphasizing the importance of English
language development in enhancing his communication skills for future employability.
Interestingly, he felt that the challenges of using English in class with German professors
contributed to developing his communication skills. Harry shared that “the communication
skill is also one of the thing I have developed a lot because before, most discussion is not
very effective because when I try to explain my question, the professor cannot understand
it.” Harry received his bachelor’s degree at VGU, and as a result, he was able to
communicate more effectively in English. In fact, he would often help his Vietnamese
classmates by “helping them to explain it in Vietnamese to me and I rephrase it into English
and translate it to English and our professor can understand.” As a result of his sustained
immersion in English, he felt he was “more effective in communication” because his
professors’ “style of the presentation is sometimes really fast, but if they slow down it is
very good. And I try to copy it in my bachelor thesis defense, and during that, I tried to
mirror the style of presentation.” As a result, Harry credited his presentation skills to the
German faculty at VGU.
Several other participants recounted multiple stories about how VGU faculty have Soft skill
encouraged them to develop interpersonal skills, all of which will benefit them in their future development
employment. Participants described largely classroom-based and independent study methods for
to develop selected soft skills. For example, Mushroom, a second-year student in SUD, shared
that prior to attending VGU, she would “learn by heart” on an individual level. When asked if employability
it was difficult to shift to more discussion-based learning, Mushroom shared that learning in
groups assisted in her development as a student because “I can learn from” classmates who
have “a different technique.” Similarly, Simon found value in group work in his classes.
As someone who does not like to work in groups, Simon realized the benefits of collaborative
work, stating he could “practice my skill in group because it’s very important when I get a job
at a company. And presentation skills are also very important skills.” As a student in the
GPEM program, he has now “realize it is very important and I want to improve.”
As a result of group work and presentations in class, students have improved their
communication skills. Cat elaborated on her improvement in communication skills, stating:
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Around 40 to 50% I improved the skill of talking with a friend or pupil and the working style. When
I’m working with professor from Germany, I have to work very exact and fast. It makes me feel like
new person.
Overall, participants found significant value in gaining soft skills in interpersonal skills while
at VGU. They valued soft skill development as a precursor for employability in the global
labor market in Vietnam. Jenny, a first-year student in GPEM, illustrated this by stating:
I think the soft skills are very important for any job because when you work at a job, you not only
focus on that job, but on communication between you and other colleagues. And the soft skills will
help you improve the communication and negotiation.

Perceived employability in global contexts


Interestingly, students contributed the importance of soft skills to employability within the
current global economy in Vietnam. Specifically, communication and cultural competence
were important especially for students who will eventually seek careers with an
international component. Communicating with faculty and classmates from varied
international backgrounds gave participants the confidence and cultural understanding to
work in international settings.
Preparation to work with different cultures was highlighted by Cat, a student in the
Traffic and Transport program. She stated:
We have a chance to study soft skills in presenters in class and in projects management subjects.
We have to study about the different cultures between Germany and Vietnam so it can improve our
soft skills if we have a chance to work with a professor or expert from Germany.
Similarly, Joshua also found value in the learning about cultural differences from foreign
faculty, specifically as a way to prepare for his future work. He shared that VGU has prepared
him for the cross-cultural aspects of his future employment. Joshua elaborated by stating:
I have a chance to learn with many professors around the world so it’s better for me to get this
experience from professors from many countries so it’s going to be better for me when I go to work.
Because when I go to work in an international company, I can manage many people from different
countries, so it makes me to learn not only the technical knowledge but also the culture.
In addition to cultural competence development, many participants cited the need for strong
communication skills for perceived employability in the global market. Matthew, a GPEM
student, shared that he chose VGU specifically to prepare him to work with non-Vietnamese
business people. He said that they “do practice so we know how to handle things and they
teach us presentation skill and soft skills.” This was a valuable result of their training as
HESWBL “we are very confident when talking with foreigners, and when we are practicing our
presentation we are very confident.”
Central to communication skills was the ability to comfortably converse in English.
All participants stated that the English language, which they called the operating language
of global business, was a necessary skill for perceived employability in the international
businesses in Vietnam. In fact, central to the majority of the participants’ career goals – and
one of the main reasons for studying at a transnational university like VGU – was the ability
to proficiently communicate in English. Fat Ray confirmed this by sharing “English must be
the language you communicate. Like the Taiwanese company working for German Adidas
at Vietnam. You must use English to communicate, otherwise no one can understand you.”
Thanh, a student who recently graduated from the Traffic and Transport master’s
program, agreed. In her opinion, she thinks:
It’s very important because many traffic project in Vietnam we have to recruit our reach out from
foreign people who work in traffic and transport field. So how can I communicate with somebody in
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Vietnamese? I have to learn at least the most popular foreign language, which is English.
English as the operating global language meant that the participants had to have strong
communication skills. As Steve asserted, English language skills were necessary “because
technology world is mostly in English. The world now is mostly English based.”
He emphasized the technical need for English language in both written and verbal forms
because “if you take any instruction, you will find English somewhere even if it’s in Vietnam
or China anywhere. Especially in technology when you have to configure something with
parameters, it is always in English.”
As indicated by participants, communication skills, especially in English, were essential to
employability post-graduation. Tony, a second-year master’s student in Computational
Engineering, summarized his beliefs in the necessity of English communication skills by saying
that “especially in Vietnam, if I try to find a job in Vietnam” because “company from US or
European, they have bosses that speak English.” Tony was confident that companies preferred
employees who were comfortable with English because of his prior experience working as a
tester engineer. He shared that in his role, he had to work with other employees from Canada
and Russia, and as a result, “we have to know English to communicate with the designer.”
Therefore, due to the increasingly international contexts of business in Vietnam, participants
strongly believed in the need for strong soft skill development in communication skills.

Discussion and implications


This study highlights the importance and significance of soft skills development for the
perceived employability of STEM graduate students at a transnational university through
international faculty interaction and English language instruction. Specifically, students
described classroom-based strategies (i.e. group work, case studies, managing projects and
class presentations) that developed their soft skills (i.e. communication, negotiation, critical
thinking, English proficiency and cultural competency). For example, Simon and Cat both
found value in classroom-based learning as it contributed to their overall soft skill
development, all of which contributed to their self-proclaimed overall improvement as a
student and future employee. As shared by Matthew and Thanh, the development of their
independent skills as well as interpersonal communication is perceived to contribute greatly
to their future employability in the Vietnamese global economy.
The findings of this study resonate with previous studies about the urgency and
significance of soft skills in the employability of university graduates in Vietnam
(Tran, 2012, 2013) and the ways soft skills are being developed at the university level
(Thanh, 2011; Trung and Swierczek, 2009). Yet the findings in this study are unique in that
they provide insights on the important role of transnational universities for graduate
employability in Vietnam. In particular, participants in this study claimed that soft skills Soft skill
were developed well by the German faculty, and as a result, they are better prepared for development
global employment, which echoes Tran’s (2013) findings of soft skills sometimes being even for
more important than professional knowledge. Thus, participants indicated that beyond
necessary technical skill development, soft skills are crucial for their perceived employability
employability. In particular, participants in this study were very aware of how critical
soft skills are for their employability in the modern Vietnamese economy, much of which is
engaged in foreign business and international partnerships. Thus, transnational universities
can be important sites for contributing to students’ soft skill development for employability.
In addition, many participants shared that there were benefits to learning from German
faculty because they assisted in the development of soft skills such as independent learning
and communication skills. This finding contrasts with another study that found soft skills
development was neglected by university curriculum (Trung and Swierczek, 2009).
Participants in this study felt that their educational training at VGU contributed to their
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perceived employability. Findings indicated that German faculty at VGU used a variety of
student-focused teaching approaches that fostered soft skill development in STEM
classrooms, such as group-based and problem-based learning. These experiences are similar
to findings from previous studies conducted by Kim et al. (2012) and Tiwari et al. (2006).
As a result of the findings, we provide three recommendations for future research and
practice. First, findings demonstrate that interacting with international faculty played a large
part in providing students the opportunity to develop their independent skills, critical
thinking, communication and cultural competence. This has implications for transnational
universities and the international faculty who teach in universities like VGU. Specifically, how
are the faculty trained to provide soft skill development to graduate students at a
transnational university? This is a question that must include multiple approaches, including
faculty training, curriculum development and learner preparation. Institutions must consider
how their curriculum contributes to the development of soft skills and how faculty,
particularly international faculty who are on campus for only two weeks, are prepared to
engage meaningfully in the engagement and development of student outcomes, especially
within specific global and political contexts. Finally, students must also be prepared to engage
in a classroom that promotes group work, class presentations and independent work.
Second, students spoke of largely faculty-initiated, classroom-based strategies to develop
soft skills for perceived employability. One must consider additional methods for promoting
students’ learning and building soft skills to enhance students’ perceptions of their own
employability ( Jackson and Wilton, 2017). From an individual perspective, the ability to “learn
how to learn” is a soft skill desired by the modern economy (Carnevale and Smith, 2013). From
a contextual perspective, it has been suggested that multiple stakeholders influence the
employability of graduates, including universities, governments, employers and the graduates
themselves (Crossman and Clarke, 2010). Though the students and graduates themselves are
assumed to take primary responsibility in enhancing their own employability, the support and
cooperation of both universities and employers can help strengthen graduate job-readiness
and employability (Chapple and Tolley, 2000; Harvey, 2005; McQuaid and Lindsay, 2005;
Van Buren, 2003). In the effort to close the soft skill gap among university graduates and
workplace demands, universities and employers must work together in the development of
soft skills (Bodewig et al., 2014; Tran, 2015), but how exactly can this be done? Future research
can explore individual and context-based perspectives in soft skill development, as well as
how these connect to classroom-based strategies at the university level.
Finally, future research can explore the concept of perceived employability in more
longitudinal studies. From a theoretical perspective, employability has been conceptualized as
the ability to secure and maintain employment (Hillage and Pollard, 1998), as well as
possessing certain skills and attributes that lead toward more successful occupations (Knight
HESWBL and Yorke, 2004). Since HERA was issued in 2005, there has been some progress in examining
the university students’ perceived importance of soft skills in the job market (Tran, 2012, 2013,
2015), as well as the importance of soft skills among graduates working at the job itself (Duy
Nguyen et al., 2004; Lau et al., 2016; Thang and Wongsurawat, 2016). Continued research in
this area can include longitudinal studies that track what soft skill development looks like in
the transition of STEM students from university to maintaining careers. For students who
have graduated, how have soft skills developed or evolved over time in their respective STEM
fields? How have perceptions of employability changed since acquiring employment? The
above mentioned longitudinal studies can provide information for both universities and
employers in offering opportunities for soft skill development as individuals transition from
students to new hires, and then to successful professionals in STEM fields.

Conclusion
This study is significant in higher education because of the increased emphasis in global
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knowledge exchange and need for better-trained graduates. In attempting to reach


global higher education standards, Vietnam is focused on strategies in producing skilled
workers through higher education. This meant designing “advanced curricula,” which
includes English-delivered content, teaching methods, and processes of training,
organization and management based on the practices of prestigious universities around
the world (Harman and Bich, 2010). As indicated by participants’ experiences, soft skills for
employability are critical in the growing international emphasis in the Vietnamese economy.
Although this particular study examines student experiences at one specific
transnational university in Vietnam, the implications span beyond Vietnamese borders.
Transnational education is growing significantly, particularly in Southeast Asia which
has emerged as a major hub (Altbach and Knight, 2007). The findings from this study can
be applied to multiple countries and regions as long as attention is given to differences
based on historical, societal, economic and cultural contexts. As a result, the findings from
this study may contribute to understanding how transnational institutions can nurture
the perceived employability and self-assurance of future graduates in navigating an
increasingly complex job market as a way to address the soft skills needs of the workforce
in countries such as Vietnam. By giving attention to graduate student experiences, we can
understand the challenges and opportunities for students at transnational universities,
especially related to their professional goals and national priorities.

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Corresponding author
Christina W. Yao can be contacted at: cyao@unl.edu

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