Female entrepreneur Tran Dong Phuong and leading ambitions in the career orientation market

DNHN - The global career orientation market, valued at tens of billions of USD, lacks an experiential model. When implementing the "work first, then choose a profession" model, Ms. Phuong seized pioneering opportunities but also faced numerous challenges.

Large career orientation market, yet lacking in experience

Despite over a decade in the legal consulting industry, female entrepreneur Tran Dong Phuong remains concerned about students working in unrelated fields after graduation. This issue also prevails in her own company.

A few years ago, during a job interview for a marketing position, Phuong was surprised that the applicant had a background in logistics. Although the candidate met job requirements, Phuong felt regretful for the years spent studying a different field.

Upon investigation, Phuong identified a significant gap in the global career orientation market. Despite the vast scale of the global vocational education market, there is a shortage of experiential models, influencing students' career decisions. According to a report by Grand View Research (USA) on the Global Vocational Education Consulting Market (2023-2030), the market is predicted to reach nearly USD 15 billion by 2030, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2023 to 2030.

Despite significant potential, practical career activities are limited to counseling and guidance. According to Grand View Research, leading career counseling companies globally, such as CareerBuilder, Monster, and LinkedIn, are based in the United States. However, these companies have yet to develop models that truly allow students to experience professions.

In the United States, Phuong explains that students start detailed explorations of their favorite professions from the 5th grade. In middle and high school, students delve deeper into specific careers. High schools often organize career orientation days and visits from universities, even the military for those interested in a military career. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provides comprehensive counseling for students, and clubs simulating real jobs offer opportunities for students to understand which industry suits them.

In the United Kingdom, career counseling activities occur throughout students' education, from primary to university. The activities are tailored to each age group and aim to help students identify and achieve their career goals. However, the UK's career orientation model only links career information with the curriculum. A report from the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) in early 2023 did not mention any experiential career orientation programs.

In Vietnam, career orientation is limited to enrollment fairs and career workshops held for 1-2 days. Career choices mainly rely on family advice or students following the "fulfilling their parents' dreams" path. This reality results in about 60% of graduates working in unrelated fields, with some fields experiencing even higher rates, nearing 70%, such as agriculture or veterinary medicine.

Bold project: Work first, then choose a profession

With the desire to help students make informed career choices, Juvenis Maxime Company was established, focusing on experiential career orientation courses. The course standards are designed to align with the global working environment.

Phuong shares that the program emphasizes experiential learning. Each student independently undertakes a specific project guided directly by a foreign mentor. This project involves a specific task within the mentor's company, such as designing an internal network management project or a financial management plan for the company. Multiple projects are available for students to choose from.

The experiential program lasts for 8 weeks, including one week of on-site business visits where students implement their projects. Throughout the experience, whenever students feel less enthusiastic and want to switch projects, they are guided to other projects.

Juvenis Maxime carefully selects mentors through multiple rounds of evaluations. These mentors are experienced professionals in their respective fields, coming from various countries such as the USA, UK, Australia, etc. According to Phuong, this pioneering career orientation program is entirely conducted in English.

Currently, Juvenis Maxime is implementing two projects in the fields of information technology and finance. According to CEO Tran Dong Phuong, in the near future, sectors with high job opportunities, high salaries, or alignment with trends will be prioritized. Students from grade 2 onwards can participate in Juvenis Maxime's experiential projects.

Explaining this direction, Phuong believes that early orientation allows more preparation time. "Developed countries help students determine their careers from the 5th grade," she notes. In addition to focusing on university entrance exams, students have the chance to reconsider if they find themselves unsuitable for the once-cherished profession. Early and accurate career orientation reduces the prevalence of graduates pursuing unrelated fields, a common issue today.

Assessing this program, an education expert suggests that this is almost the first model of its kind globally. If implemented successfully, this model has great potential due to the significant market demand.

On the business side, according to Dr. Trinh Doan Tuan Linh, a financial expert, despite the potential, the company also faces numerous challenges. Firstly, as a new model, it may not achieve optimal quality initially. Even if the program content is good, poor management and implementation can hinder achieving the set goals. Moreover, in the initial stage, operating and marketing costs need to be meticulously calculated to balance program quality and business profitability.

Additionally, Dr. Linh suggests that for each industry, Maxime should have 5-10 experiential projects because each profession has many specific jobs. Regardless, this is a model that Vietnamese students desperately need.

Xuan Cuong