Career orientation in new context
The 2026 upper secondary school graduation exam is approaching, with more than one million candidates expected to sit for this important milestone. Yet beyond the exam, what awaits is not only a diploma but also the decision on future career paths in a rapidly advancing technological landscape.
“Understanding yourself, understanding your profession, securing your future” was once the formula trusted by Le Minh, a final-year accounting student at the College of Science and Technology. However, within just three months of internship before graduation, Minh realised that much of what he had been trained in no longer plays a central role in his work. Many tasks once considered “core skills” are now handled by software and AI.
Minh said he would need to relearn and acquire new knowledge, and some of his classmates are even considering changing career directions despite being close to graduation.
Minh’s story reflects a broader reality in which many learners are facing the prospect that the professions they are trained for may change rapidly in the near future.
Commenting on this trend, Associate Professor, Doctor Pham Manh Ha, a senior lecturer at Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, noted that the concept of a “secure future” needs to be reconsidered. According to him, there is no longer such a thing as a permanently “safe job”; what matters is that learners maintain their ability to make choices and continue moving forward as professions change.
For decades, career choices were often based on a familiar formula: learn a profession, accumulate experience, and develop within that field. Today, this approach is changing. AI, automation, and digital transformation are gradually replacing certain tasks and redefining how work is organised and performed. What were once specialised skills can quickly become functions handled by machines.
At the same time, the occupational landscape is shifting. New professions continue to emerge, while many familiar fields are becoming saturated. Areas such as AI, robotics and automation, semiconductor technology, and cybersecurity are being prioritised in training, reflecting changes in labour market demand. From a system perspective, the scale of training is substantial, with more than 2.4 million learners each year. However, a paradox persists in that most programmes remain short-term, while demand for highly skilled and adaptable workers continues to grow.
Readiness of the training system
At the policy level, the direction for developing vocational education has gradually become clearer. Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of the Communist Party of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development places the sector at the core of human resource strategy, while calling for a streamlined, efficient system aligned with international standards.
Based on this orientation, more concrete steps are being implemented. Resolution No. 249/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly identifies the 2026–2035 period as one of focused investment, with around 18 colleges serving as core institutions, including six national centres and 12 regional centres for high-skilled workforce training. At the same time, the system is expected to deepen with about 30 institutions developing at least 20 key occupations capable of competing within ASEAN. These figures reflect both investment plans and a clear shift in scale and quality.
Beyond investment scale, the approach itself is also evolving. Previously, development relied on the selection of certain institutions for priority investment; now it is moving towards an open model, in which the state sets standards and frameworks, while training institutions build their own roadmaps, make commitments, and take responsibility for quality.
Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, emphasised that quality cannot be declared in name alone but must meet accreditation standards. According to him, these standards should be measured by outcomes, particularly regarding the employability of graduates. This marks a notable shift, with the focus moving away from institutional capacity towards actual labour market demand.
However, a considerable gap remains between policy direction and implementation. The target of having around 70 institutions meeting high-quality standards by 2025 has so far achieved only modest results. This gap reflects both resource constraints and the complexity of transforming a large-scale training system.
The mismatch between training and market demand is also evident from the business perspective. A representative from Canon Viet Nam noted that as companies expand production and apply AI, demand for technology engineers and AI specialists is rising rapidly, yet the supply of job-ready human resources remains limited.
From an expert viewpoint, the issue lies not only in skill gaps but also in the changing nature of work itself. Associate Professor, Doctor Truong Ngoc Kiem, Director of the Technology and Innovation Park (Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi), observed that AI does not typically replace humans but changes how work is done. Therefore, adaptability becomes more important than specific skills. In a context where knowledge is constantly updated, learning is no longer confined to formal education but must become a lifelong process, requiring a more open and flexible learning ecosystem.
From a management perspective, challenges also stem from the approach itself. Truong Anh Dung, Director General of the Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, stated that given current conditions, the system cannot be rebuilt from scratch but must be restructured based on existing foundations. The main obstacle, he noted, lies in institutional mechanisms; strong goals and missions alone are insufficient without appropriate policies for implementation.
While the education and vocational training system has clear orientations and has begun to move forward, the process of realisation still faces many barriers. Meanwhile, the labour market and technological development will not wait.
Amid these two “waves”, learners stand at a crossroads where every choice carries risks. An unsuitable decision may cost time and lead to falling behind in a rapidly evolving labour market. Yet this intersection also presents opportunities, as the training system is restructured towards standardised quality, alignment with economic demand, and outcome-based measurement. In that context, learners’ choices can be made within a clearer and more rational framework, while the responsibility of the education system is to ensure that they always have the opportunity to move forward.
