Competitive career advantages of Cambridge academic programmes at VAS

August 11, 2020 - 08:00

In comparison with the Vietnamese curriculum offered by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Cambridge International Academic Program gives students early exposure to a wide range of social science subjects which are highly applicable such as Global Perspectives, Business and Economics. From there, their passion has the chance to reveal itself which eventually leads to a clear vision of a future career path.

In comparison with the Vietnamese curriculum offered by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Cambridge International Academic Program gives students early exposure to a wide range of social science subjects which are highly applicable such as Global Perspectives, Business and Economics. From there, their passion has the chance to reveal itself which eventually leads to a clear vision of a future career path.

Broaden the Vietnamese students’ horizons with the “Global Perspective” subject

As part of the Cambridge Academic Programme, Global Perspective is a subject VAS offers to students from grades 6 to 10 for its practical content that covers diverse knowledge areas regarding factors affecting the world and human life; including politics, economics, environment, science, technology, culture and ethics. This is essential preparation for Vietnamese students to catch up with international friends and adapt to the rapid development of the 21st century.

The course helps students learn about demographic changes, research a country's legal and social policies, or propose solutions to community disputes. At VAS, students are confident to come up with innovative solutions when discussing topics about political systems, international law, cross-border organisations or urgent issues regarding global climate change, sustainable future, and artificial intelligence.

In addition to building up the basic knowledge foundation, students also cultivate necessary sets of skills in preparation for college and for the future, including teamwork skills, research skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Building a solid foundation of economics

From grade 9, VAS students attending the Cambridge IGCSE programme will start learning economics until grade 12 when they complete the Cambridge AS/A Level programme. The course provides basic economic theories such as the supply-demand relationship, opportunity cost, market economy, and fiscal policy. Students pursuing financial economics will easily catch up with the specialised knowledge at higher levels of education with this solid foundation.

Building a solid foundation of economics

In addition to the theories, foreign teachers at VAS also enable students to develop data analysis skills (statistics and charts), report writing skills and scientific research. They often work on projects, research developed economies to enhance their knowledge and draw practical lessons for themselves about the price system, government intervention, international trade, exchange rates and inflation.

Being an entrepreneur from high school years

VAS secondary students are no strangers to small start-up models. At noon on Friday each week, they practise their own business ideas. It could be a movie theatre with more than 200 seats transformed from the hall, a game and cuisine fair right in the schoolyard or a charged concert host themselves. This is the outcome of Business Studies, one of the three social sciences that are the most popular among VAS students.

At the beginning of 9th grade, students will be introduced to the business operation system including human resource management, marketing, production operations and financial management. By grade 11, the programme will focus on the principles of corporate accounting, project management and strategic management. Here, students will play the role of entrepreneurs, plan out a business model and present it to teachers – the investors – to convince them to fund their business (the same format as the Shark Tank TV show).

Through these practical activities, students will develop leadership skills, presentation skills and negotiation skills; as well as having the opportunity to become "entrepreneur interns" with small business projects at the school.

By being exposed to multi-disciplinary knowledge and having the opportunity to have hands-on experience right at school, VAS students possess many advantages when exploring their career orientation and confidently choosing majors and picking schools at higher levels.

VAS is a school system with a 16-year history teaching international bilingual programmes in Viet Nam. Some 9,500 VAS students, from kindergarten to grade 12, are studying at its seven campuses. VAS now offers three Cambridge pathways to meet the needs and competencies of students and their family’s orientations.

Learn more about educational programmes and register for a free placement test at

https://www.vas.edu.vn/ or hotline 0911 2677 55.

 

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