Looking back on a year of accompanying learners at UEH: A journey of comprehensive care and support, towards Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

07 Feb, 2025

The year 2024 has marked new strides with numerous programs and activities supporting learners at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH). With a commitment to ensuring that every individual is provided opportunities, access, and participation in learning, UEH continues to affirm their leading position in building an educational environment aimed at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In addition to practical activities for learners, which consist of financial support, scholarships, and employment opportunities, the university actively organizes events that enhance skills, abilities, and comprehensive knowledge, including physical and mental health care, gender equality, international exchange, and multicultural integration.

Comprehensive Support at UEH: Where Every Learner is Given an Opportunity

Aiming towards sustainable development goals, the school always creates opportunities for learners from different backgrounds, building equitable access to education, motivating achievements, and connecting the community for education. UEH strives to provide opportunities through a series of scholarship policies and practical credit systems, ensuring that every learner has access to quality education. Most recently, UEH has implemented 100 scholarships, each worth 10 million VND, for students with permanent residence in 26 localities affected by natural disasters and floods caused by Typhoon Yagi in 2024. In addition to updating and developing new scholarship policies, the Department of Student Affairs (DSA) is the unit responsible for directly implementing and carrying out numerous programs, providing financial support to learners with merit scholarships for formal university students with good academic and training performance; Scholarships to Support Learning Access and aid for students from difficult circumstances, expanding the eligibility of scholarship applicants to include students in the associate degree transition programs and those enrolled in part-time or evening courses; International Student Exchange Scholarships offering more than 180 grants from international partner schools, covering all or part of tuition fees for students and providing living expenses, accommodation support for students; Companion Sponsorship Scholarships from businesses and sponsoring partners with a total value of more than 3.5 billion VND, supporting many outstanding students and those in difficult circumstances to continue pursuing their educational dreams without interruption due to financial issues.

Diverse and timely scholarship policies as an extended arm, supporting learners in covering their study and living expenses while fostering motivation for dreams in the lecture hall

In addition to scholarship policies, the Department of Student Affairs (DSA) has implemented Student Loan Programs that allow learners to borrow at the lowest interest rates, with streamlined procedures. In 2024, more than 1 billion VND in loans have been approved to support students. Furthermore, UEH partners with banks to offer 0% interest installment payments through credit card issuance, assisting learners in accessing appropriate loan sources when they face difficulties in paying tuition fees. Beyond this, DSA continually monitors unexpected hardships to propose timely policies that provide support, care, and encouragement for students and their families during challenging times and illnesses, allowing them to continue their journey toward knowledge.

Like a guiding compass accompanying learners on their developmental journey, the close collaboration with partners and businesses has generated thousands of internship and job opportunities for students in 2024. Through events rich in connectivity like the UEH Sharing - Career Fair series, mock interviews, company tours, and the Ho Chi Minh City Internship and Job Fair, UEH has created the best conditions for learners to meet and connect with reputable companies, opening up pathways for sustainable career growth. Additionally, the Job Portal actively promotes numerous job opportunities from UEH's network of partner organizations and businesses to students through online channels. The results indicate that the number of applicant profiles in the system has surged by 80% compared to the previous year, with 9,118 new profiles created in 2024. Moreover, UEH successfully conducted three mock interview sessions in March, July, and November 2024, involving leading companies across various fields, helping students connect and gain real-world experience to impress employers even while still in the classroom.

Additionally, DSA also collaborates with member colleges to organize company tours, providing students the opportunity to update their practical knowledge and gain closer insights into various industries, including Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, Production and Distribution, Finance - Banking, Accounting - Auditing, and e-commerce, affirming the institution's commitment to training high-quality, dynamic labor that is ready to integrate and to contribute positively to sustainable development in the future.

UEH creates every condition for learners to access their dream jobs, building quality relationships with partner businesses.

Building a strong, knowledgeable, and skilled learning community

With the philosophy of “Putting learners at the center,” UEH not only focuses on specialized training but also places particular emphasis on building a healthy community of students who are knowledgeable and skilled. By integrating community values into activities that enhance student quality of life, UEH has created an ideal learning environment where students develop both their competencies and skills, improve their health, and establish social responsibility.

Accordingly, UEH has organized a series of free courses in 2024, equipping learners with problem-solving skills to overcome and adapt to current issues, including digital technology application, systems thinking, intercultural communication, and English language improvement. The programs are systematically designed, easily accessible, and tailored to all educational levels, helping learners prepare thoroughly and confidently face challenges in the job market. Concurrently, UEH collaborates with relevant agencies in the field of cybersecurity to organize specialized seminars on responding to high-tech crime threats. As a result, learners gain access to practical solutions and modern support tools, boosting their confidence when engaging in a digital environment.

Additionally, activities aimed at enhancing English proficiency through the UEH English Zone have also garnered significant attention and participation from learners across various levels. With a community of over 23,000 followers, UEH English Zone has created a free English practice environment right within the UEH campus while facilitating cultural exchange activities with international students from countries like the United States, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and more.

Programs are organized regularly throughout the academic year, equipping learners with the necessary skills to become global citizens

In particular, to meet the demands of a competitive environment, learners not only need to equip themselves with professional skills but also must learn how to maintain and practice balanced health. To address this challenge, UEH has implemented comprehensive health support programs, including sports tournaments like the UEH League, the Traditional Student Sports Day; regular eye examinations and health check-ups; practical workshops on psychology, yoga, and meditation; and health topic sharing sessions on drug prevention and social issues. These activities not only help students enhance their physical fitness but also cultivate healthy living habits, creating a foundation for both physical and mental health for sustainable learning and development. Additionally, UEH has established a safe and empathetic sharing space for learners when faced with challenges in their academic lives. Over the past four years of managing and implementing personalized counseling sessions, DSA has become a reliable partner, helping learners become more confident and resilient, maintaining balance throughout their study and lifelong career development.

Students are cared for and their physical and mental health is nurtured, creating a solid foundation for peace of mind in their studies and sustainable development

Toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In addition to enhancing skills and health, UEH encourages students to practice equality, respect diversity, and build a dynamic, inclusive community that is free from discrimination and division; ensuring the rights of all members while promoting student participation in volunteer activities, leadership development, and positive contributions to the community and society, all aimed at sustainable values.

Alongside learners, UEH University always demonstrates their commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment. In 2024, UEH released access guidelines at the UEH campuses of Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Nguyen Tri Phuong, and Nguyen Van Linh to assist learners with disabilities and facilitate safe and convenient access for visitors. Concurrently, UEH provides specialized support services to ensure the integration of learners with disabilities in both academic and work environments, including tuition support policies, provision of learning tools, accommodation assistance, UEH Shuttle Bus and public bus services, and the development of individual counseling programs to guide and support students with disabilities in their studies and careers.

With the aim of establishing a safe learning environment where all students are respected and have opportunities for growth, promoting solidarity among the student body, UEH also implements policies to protect student rights, organizes programs to raise awareness about equality, and strictly addresses any acts of discrimination, striving for a civilized and progressive learning atmosphere. Over the past year, programs, articles, and communication campaigns aimed at raising student awareness related to equality have garnered significant attention from students, particularly female students, with more than 42,000 expressions of interest. Encouraging learners to explore and to respect differences, and to practice equality, has created favorable conditions for students to develop open-minded thinking, identify and address injustices arising from differences. These practices not only help UEH become a pioneering learning environment in terms of values of equality and inclusion but also equip students with the necessary mindsets and skills as they enter the international job market, where sensitivity to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion is increasingly valued.

Support options and practical programs as evidences of the commitment to ensuring that every individual is provided with opportunities to access and participate in learning, aiming towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community

With determination and effort, the year 2024 has concluded with many impressive achievements from the entire team of the Department of Student Affairs, contributing to the creation of an environment that enables learners to develop comprehensively and build a UEHer community that spreads positive values, with sustainable development at its core.

In 2025, DSA will continue to accompany learners in the role of connection, comprehensive care, applying technology, and developing a multi-channel customer relationship management (CRM) system that synchronously connects the Knowledge Base, the UEH hotline, and various online communication channels to better support students. DSA will strive much harder to ensure that the learning experience of students is always meaningful. This way, every individual, regardless of differences, can confidently affirm themselves, be fully equipped with knowledge, skills, and global capabilities, empowered to take action, spread positive values, contribute to the community, and continue to leave their marks on the path of developing a multi-disciplinary and sustainable UEH.

New, photos: Department of Student Affairs (DSA)