Developing soft skills and core competencies for university students to enhance the effectiveness of human resource supply in the new era

Abstract

In the context of digital transformation and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the labor market is undergoing profound changes, leading to new demands for human resources. Increasingly, emphasis is placed on soft skills and foundational competencies alongside disciplinary knowledge. However, the reality of university education in Vietnam reveals a significant gap between graduates’ competencies and labor market requirements, particularly in areas such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and adaptability in digital environments.This study is conducted based on a literature review and synthesis approach, combined with comparative analysis and a systems perspective, aiming to clarify three main issues: (i) emerging requirements for students’ skills and competencies in the digital era; (ii) the current state of soft skills and foundational competency development among Vietnamese university students; and (iii) representative international experiences in soft skills training. Through analysis of training models such as Canada’s CO-OP program, Japan’s On-the-Job Training, and interdisciplinary project-based learning in the United Kingdom and Australia, the study evaluates the applicability, conditions for implementation, and limitations of transferring these models to the context of Vietnamese higher education.The research findings indicate that the development of soft skills and foundational competencies should be prioritized in university education. The core focus lies in innovating curricula toward a competency-based approach, along with reforming teaching methods in the direction of experiential, interactive, and practice-oriented learning. In addition, strengthening collaboration between universities and enterprises, together with building supportive ecosystems for students, plays an important role in enhancing the quality, practicality, and sustainability of the training process. The findings and recommendations of this study contribute scientific evidence to support higher education reform and improve the effectiveness of human resource development in the new context.