Universities adjust training programs before the 'AI storm'

As AI develops rapidly, universities are also gradually adjusting their curricula to suit reality.

Nguyen Huy Hai, a self-study candidate in Hai Duong who is reviewing for the 2025 high school graduation exam, shared that he had chosen the automotive technology major in the previous admissions season, but after the first semester, Hai realized that he was not suitable for the technical major, so he decided to "change direction" and retake the exam to switch to the economic major this year. However, what Hai is most concerned about is the information online that these majors could also be replaced by AI in the future.

Similarly, Tran Hai Yen (Viet Duc High School, Hanoi) also wishes to choose a major in journalism and communications but is also worried about the future information that "AI journalists" may take away jobs: "With just Chat GPT, you can create an article on any topic. When following information about occupations that may be affected in the future by artificial intelligence, I am quite worried."

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that no matter how much artificial intelligence develops, it cannot completely replace humans in all professional fields.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong gave an example of the journalism and media industry, where artificial intelligence can help journalists process information better, even create “robot journalists” and spread information on social networks. However, as technology develops, there are also many people who take advantage of it to create fake images and voices, spread fake news, and negatively impact society.

Thus, AI brings many opportunities as well as many challenges to the press. At that time, journalists play an important role in verifying information, discovering new issues to create new journalistic works that have the power to move and serve the community in the most truthful, accurate, and socially oriented way.

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Principal of University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)

Journalists also need to have extensive background knowledge to be able to analyze, comment, and criticize society to build solution journalism.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thu Huong said that in the context of AI development as it is today, schools are also changing their programs, having new courses to equip students with better knowledge and skills. As for journalism and communications, in addition to courses on journalism, operations, and journalism skills, schools also include many courses on AI skills, virtual reality technology, and augmented reality to help students gain more knowledge and skills to best use AI for future work.

Interdisciplinary trends are on the rise

Dr. Tran Manh Ha, Head of Training Department of Banking Academy, also said that in order to meet the digital transformation and the continuous development of technology, in addition to traditional majors, in recent years the school has opened a number of new majors such as digital banking, financial technology, digital marketing, e-commerce, and data science.

“We forecast that the social needs of these industries in the coming years will be very urgent, in line with the digital transformation process. In addition, these are all training industries built in an interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary direction, combining traditional industries and digital transformation, technology to equip students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet future job requirements,” said Dr. Tran Manh Ha.

Dr. Tran Manh Ha, Head of Training Department, Banking Academy

According to Dr. Ha, in addition to professional knowledge, the school also focuses on equipping students with foreign language skills, communication skills, teamwork, digital skills and most importantly, lifelong learning habits, to continuously learn and improve knowledge and skills in a social context that changes every day.

MSc. Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Training Management Department of Foreign Trade University, also affirmed that artificial intelligence only provides tools and cannot completely replace humans in all fields and professions, especially in the economic sector.

However, to meet the new requirements of the labor market, currently Foreign Trade University in particular, as well as universities across the country in general, will have to review and adjust the training program to have new approaches, equipping learners with the mindset and skills to master technology.

Besides, schools also aim for interdisciplinary training, traditional majors will also have to adjust or open new majors combining economic and technological groups.

“The trend of interdisciplinary training is taking place very strongly in all majors. Students can study and go deep into a certain major, but they will still be able to study additional training branches.

For example, when studying computer science, students can pursue software development or data analysis, or when studying economics, they can still learn more about data science, when studying commerce, they can still have knowledge about international business...

With such training direction, students will have more career opportunities, better meeting the requirements of the labor market," said Master Pham Thanh Ha.

Which industries are in great demand for recruitment?

In terms of hiring trends, Manpower Group said that digital and green transformation are growing strongly across all industries. More and more companies are prioritizing technology upgrades, digitalization, AI and automation applications, as well as sustainable practices.

This focus drives high demand for recruitment in areas such as digital, environmental – social – governance (ESG), risk management and compliance.

The semiconductor industry is also emerging as a bright star. Vietnam is becoming a potential market for global semiconductor manufacturers, thanks to competitive labor costs, government incentives and increasing foreign investment.

In 2025, semiconductor recruitment will focus on three key areas: increasing demand for skilled engineers, increasing focus on research & development (R&D) roles to drive innovation, and focusing on investing in developing domestic talent.

The semiconductor industry is also expected to pay the most generous bonuses in 2025, up to 33% of annual salary.

In addition, the demand for foreign language skills is increasing in recruitment. In the context of Vietnam's deeper integration with the world, more and more employers require employees to be proficient in at least one foreign language, in addition to professional skills.

Besides English, languages ​​such as Chinese (e.g. Manufacturing), Japanese (e.g. Real Estate) and Korean (e.g. Industrial Trade) are also very popular.

“Only 9% of businesses in the Asia Pacific region have the talent they need to achieve their environmental, social and governance goals, so we believe this trend will accelerate in the coming year,” said Simon Matthews, Regional Director, Southeast Asia, ManpowerGroup.

Our recruitment data shows that the demand for green talent in Vietnam is currently high in industries such as: Manufacturing, Technology, Energy, Transport & Logistics, and Agriculture".

NGUYEN TRANG (VOV.VN)