From Employer Expectations to Career Development: Students of the Global Young Business Managers (GYBM) International Program Engage with Leaders from the Korean Business Community and EY Vietnam

Speaking from the perspective of the Korean business community in Vietnam, Dr. Ko Tae Yeon examined the country's changing investment and business landscape and the emerging demands placed on the future workforce. He noted that Vietnam is not only one of Asia's fastest-growing economies but is also steadily moving from labour-intensive manufacturing towards higher value-added industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, data centres, green industries, and smart manufacturing.

According to Dr. Ko, these structural changes are transforming employers' expectations. In addition to professional knowledge, companies increasingly seek young professionals who demonstrate responsibility, a strong learning mindset, execution capability, an understanding of Vietnam, effective communication and collaboration skills, problem-solving ability, and adaptability to emerging technologies.

Drawing on practical business cases, Dr. Ko Tae Yeon highlighted that career opportunities in Vietnam now extend far beyond traditional manufacturing. New opportunities are emerging across electronics, semiconductor industries, logistics, finance, data services, marketing, supply chain management, and environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related sectors. He emphasized that opportunities become meaningful only when young people are able to understand market changes, appreciate local realities, and proactively develop the capabilities required to respond to them.

From the perspective of a global professional services firm, Ms. Huong Vu, Chief Executive Officer of EY Consulting Vietnam, shared her insights on building a sustainable career in an era of constant change. She emphasized that an international career does not begin with working abroad; rather, it begins with cultivating professional standards and excellence in everyday work.

Drawing upon her experience at EY, Ms. Vu discussed major trends shaping the future of work, including the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, cross-border collaboration, increasingly flexible career pathways, and the growing importance of trust, responsibility, and professional ethics. She encouraged students to recognize that success does not require being the most talented from the very beginning. Instead, it relies on the ability to learn quickly, take ownership of one's work, earn trust, and remain resilient in the face of challenges.

Another key takeaway from her presentation was the need to combine deep professional expertise with the ability to connect people, processes, data, and business contexts. For young Koreans pursuing careers in Vietnam, this means not only maintaining the discipline and professional standards associated with Korean enterprises, but also developing a deep understanding of Vietnam's market, people, and local context in order to collaborate effectively and create value in multicultural workplaces.

Ms. Vu also stressed that meaningful careers are built through consistent habits of capability development. Identifying one capability to improve during each learning cycle, actively seeking mentors, building supportive peer networks, and regularly reflecting on what has been learned, what value has been created, and what should be improved next are all essential practices for long-term professional growth.

Although approaching the topic from different perspectives, both speakers conveyed a common message: future career success depends not only on market opportunities or business growth, but fundamentally on each individual's preparation and capability development. While Dr. Ko Tae Yeon helped students understand how businesses are changing and what competencies employers expect from young professionals, Ms. Vu focused on how individuals can continuously learn, develop, and prepare themselves to meet those expectations. Together, their presentations enabled students to better appreciate the relationship between opportunity, capability, and personal responsibility.

For the Global Young Business Managers (GYBM) Program, the seminar represented an important learning milestone. It encouraged students to reflect on three fundamental questions that underpin the program: What should I understand about Vietnam? What should I understand about the business environment? What kind of professional do I aspire to become in order to work effectively in Vietnam? These questions reflect the educational philosophy of GYBM, which encourages students not only to acquire knowledge but also to observe, reflect, assess themselves, and translate learning into concrete personal development plans.

By bringing experienced business leaders and industry experts into direct dialogue with students, the Academy of Public Administration and Governance continues to strengthen the connection between academic learning and professional practice, between classroom learning and employer expectations, and between individual career development and the broader partnership between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea. Beyond providing insights into the labour market, the seminar inspired students to cultivate professionalism, lifelong learning, responsibility, and the aspiration to build meaningful careers in Vietnam and the global workplace.