An educational cooperation agreement between Vietnam and Ireland will have a significant impact on the quality of Vietnam’s education system and a positive effect for its economy, said Mark Ashwill, Managing Director of Capstone Vietnam – a human resource development company.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) received Irish Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton in Hanoi on November 24

The PIE News - a widely read and highly trusted source of news and business intelligence about the global international education industry – recently interviewed Ashwill about the 578,000 EUR agreement, which had been signed by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Irish Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton on the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in late November.

It cited Ashwill as saying that Irish universities are strong in technology and applied research, for which there is a great need in Vietnam as the country’s economy continues to develop and diversify. 

“In many respects, Ireland’s economy is a great role model for Vietnam. The Vietnamese government knows that it has to upgrade the quality of its postsecondary education system, including academic and vocational, if the country is to escape the so-called middle-income trap,” he stated.

Ashwill also said that Ireland will benefit from the agreement as both the Irish Government and higher education institutions are keen on recruiting more Vietnamese students.

“There is a lot of untapped potential if they are able to pursue an effective, long-term recruitment strategy,” he stressed. “Unlike other countries, in which nativism and an anti-immigration climate are currently the order of the day, there are excellent post-graduation employment opportunities in Ireland in certain fields, which is attractive to a lot of Vietnamese students.”

Earlier, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the ASEM, Bruton expressed his hope to increase opportunities for Irish students to learn at higher level institutions in Vietnam and the Republic of Korea by strengthening and building partnerships with institutions in these countries.-VNA