On December 18th, 2018, Hanoi University of Science and Technology organized The National Project Status Awareness Conference Day, within the framework of the project “Communicative Approaches in University Vocational Teaching Methodology focusing on Improving Educational Yield and Sustainability” – CATALYST, jointly with University of Languages & International Studies- Vietnam National University, and Hung Yen University of Technology and Education.

The CATALYST project is funded by the European Commission through the Capacity-Building in Higher Education Programme (CBHE) as part of the Key Action 2 projects. CBHE is the European Union’s programme whose aim are to improve, develop and modernize higher education systems and to support cooperation of Partner Countries across different regions of the world such as Asia mainly through university cooperation projects. 

The specific objective of CATALYST is the development and implementation of a comprehensive pedagogical Core Curricula using an ECTS/Tuning Modular design for university vocational teaching for Vietnam and Laos. Participating members are 13 academic partners coming from 6 countries representing Romania, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam and Laos.

The well-established objective of the National Project Status Awareness Conference Day was to disseminate the information of the project and the preliminary positive outcomes of the project to non-stakeholders, and to collect and review open-ended questionnaire feedback from participants. The day also provided an opportunity for those in attendance to meet and discuss academic as well as administrative issues upon university vocational teaching in Vietnam and other higher educational settings.

The National Project Status Awareness Conference Day was honored to welcome delegates from Technical University of Dresden (Germany), The Pyramid Group (Germany), Language Link Vietnam, Ministry of Education and Training, Directorate of Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, GIZ office in Vietnam, Vietnam’s National Foreign Language 2020 project and VietTESOL. 

The event also received the active participation of employers from different sectors, media agencies such as Vietnam News Agency and Dan Tri Newspaper as well as enthusiastic attendance of hundreds of lecturers and students from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, University of Languages & International Studies- Vietnam National University, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and Hanoi Vocational College of Technology.

The full-day event saw a number of items on the agenda including plenary morning session with inspiring presentations on Vocational Education in Vietnam in the Integration Period, Challenges Facing Employees and Critical Work Skills in the Coming Decade and CATALYST Project Status Report: Solutions to the Issues in Vietnam’s University Vocational Education; followed by stimulating Panel Discussion: CATALYST and Vocational Education in Vietnam and lively Kahoot Quiz about CATALYST Project. 

In the afternoon, the Programme on Meeting with Employers and Job Interview Contest ran excitingly parallel to Professional Development Workshop on featured topics of Using ICT to develop and adapt teaching aids in university vocational training and Communicative approach to ESP. Throughout the three sessions was the engaging gallery exhibition of project activities since its kick-off meeting in Ho Chi Minh city in early 2017.

The National Project Status Awareness Conference Day 2018 at Hanoi University of Science and Technology was a great success and a truly meaningful, compelling and beneficial event for all in attendance.