VietNamNet Bridge – Training high quality workforce in service science is the most important part of the 2010-2020 service science plan development, conducted by the HCM City Science and Technology Department. IBM has committed to help train experts in the field, while universities have been training information technology (IT) service science.
 
Labor force in service science remains modest
 
In July, IT firms in HCM City, including HPT, TMA and CMC, will test 57 fourth-year students in IT service science of the HCM City University for Natural Sciences.
 
Dr Vu Hai Quang, Director of the International Training Center under the university, said that the first training course will produce 57 students. “These will be the first students who graduate the new science in Vietnam,” Quan said.
 
Also according to Quan, the center still has three other training courses which train 160 students, including 66 first year; 58 second year and 36 third year students.
 
The training courses have been carried out under the framework of the cooperation training program of the HCM City University for Natural Sciences and New Zealand Auckland University of Technology.
 
Dr Thoai Nam, Dean of the Computing Faculty under the HCM City University of Technology, said that the school is really interested in providing the workforce for the service science. However, in the immediate time it only trains masters, and does not train bachelors, because higher-level workers are necessary for state management agencies and enterprises.
 
“We have the cooperation training programs with the universities from Switzerland and Singapore,” Nam said. In the immediate time, the service science training program will be run at two faculties of computing and industrial management of the school.
 
According to Doan Hoang Minh from the HCM City Science and Technology Department, the plan on developing the workforce for the service science has also got the participation of the HCM City Economics University.
 
“The period from now to 2012 will be the time for preparing the workforce. After that, the pilot implementation will be carried out in IT and tourism sectors in HCM City,” Minh said.
 
Businesses keep indifferent to service science bachelors
 
According to Dr Quan, businesses now do not pay much attention to the service science, because this remains a new concept, and because they still do not well understand the contribution of the science to their operation.
 
“Since businesses still do not have deep understanding about this, they still do not know how to use service science bachelors in the most effective way,” Dr Quan noted.
 
Ngo Vi Dong, Chair of HPT Company, has confirmed that what Quan said is happening in Vietnam, because service science is really a new science in the world.
 
“In the current difficult circumstances, businesses cannot both struggle to survive and seek new ways for their operation at the same time,” Dong said. “In theory, service science is really very useful for the development of businesses, but it is really difficult to apply this at this moment”.
 
The indifference of businesses can explain why the survey conducted by the HCM City Department for Science and Technology did not bring the desired effects. Questionnaires were sent to businesses, but the department only got few feedbacks.
 
Deputy Director of the HCM City Department for Science and Technology Pham Khac Thanh has confirmed that there is not sufficient information to learn about the demand and knowledge of businesses about this field.
 
“However, we will continue this work,” he said.
 
Source: Tien phong