With the aim of supporting middle and high school students in the career orientation process, identifying factors affecting career choices that are suitable for their own development capacity as well as answering other questions related to the topic “Career orientation”, from November 2nd to 11th 2020, the Social & Community Section of Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP) organized a series of workshops themed “Sharing – Learning Motivation, Future Career ” at 5 schools in the neighboring area including: Tinh Hai, Hai Yen, Dao Duy Tu, Mai Lam Secondary Schools and Tinh Gia 3 High School.

Career orientation workshops

Attended the events were Mr. Vuong Van Viet – Former Deputy Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee, Chairman of Thanh Hoa province’s Study Promotion Association; speakers from Hong Duc University; principals/vice principals of the afore-said 5 schools and especially the presence of the outstanding example of overcoming difficulties, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien – Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial Club of Women with Disabilities and representatives from the S&C Section of NSRP.

Representatives attended the events

Following the exciting and well-practiced welcome performances from the students of the schools was the enthusiastic opening speech presented by Mr. Trinh Xuan Duc, Deputy Manager of Social & Community Section- NSRP. In his speech, Mr. Duc emphasized the importance of career orientation and affirmed that investment in education is always the top criterion of NSRP’s concerns in development activities for the neighboring communities.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Duc, Deputy Manager of Social & Community Section- NSRP was delivering his speech

The sharing and exchange activities of the guests at the workshops motivated and brought a lot of practical recommendation and suggestions on the future career orientation, helping the students see the overall picture of career guidance activities in Vietnam, career orientation policies and practices in Nghi Son town as well as Thanh Hoa province on human resource development.

The representative of International Education Center (Hong Duc University), Dr. Hoang Dinh Hai also shared the practice of training high-quality human resources. He emphasized that choosing a domestic career is not the only way, with many highly effective work paths abroad, the students should have a clear, rhetorical learning goals and career path and especially improve their foreign language skills to expand career opportunities in the future when Thanh Hoa in general and Nghi Son in particular  would be one of the developing industrial economic zones, attracting investment from many foreign businesses.

The teachers from the 5 school administration boards also gave useful advices to students to help them make appropriate decisions on career selection in the future. In particular, the teachers emphasized that vocational training after graduating from high school or secondary school would be suitable for those that have low studying results.

Especially, the share of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, a woman with vitiligo, who is only 88cm tall and has much weaker health than everyone else, but she strived to become the Director of Suri Trade and Services Manufacturing Limited Company founded by her and is the President of the Disabled Business people Association. Incessantly striving, she was honored to receive the Kovalevskaia Prize, an annual award given to outstanding teams and individuals, to honor female scientists who have excellent achievements in researching and applying science to real life, bringing many benefits in many fields – economy, society and culture. “Working while others work, learning while others are sleeping and always setting clear goals, we will have what we dream of while others are still busy dreaming” – she shared her philosophy in the applause of encouragement and admiration from the students as well as the guests for being a shining exemplary of trying to overcome difficulties to succeed.

In addition to the meaningful, useful, and interesting discussions from the guests, students also participated in exciting games, enhancing the spirit of solidarity and teamwork ability then received encouraging gifts from the Sponsor NSRP and Organization Committee.

The career orientation workshops were one of activity series of the Education Support project phase 4 of NSRP Strategic Social Investment (SSI) Program established and started in 2015. The successful organization of those workshops once again strongly affirmed NSRP’s concern and care for sustainable livelihood development activities for the people in the neighboring area of NSRP Project through improving career-oriented skills, life skills and English skills for the target audience – students, the main labor human resource in the future.