Students meet with recruiters at HCM City Open University’s 2025 part-time job fair on December 7, where more than 2,500 job and internship opportunities were offered. — Photo Courtesy of HCMCOU

HCM CITY — More than 2,500 part-time and internship opportunities have been offered to students at a part-time job fair in HCM City, helping young people gain practical experience through safe and reputable employment channels.

HCM City Open University (HCMCOU) held its eighth annual part-time job fair held last Sunday (December 7).

A recent survey of first-year students showed that 83.2 per cent were seeking part-time jobs aligned with their fields of study to enhance their skills, gain workplace exposure and earn additional income.

Despite this demand, many students remain vulnerable to fraudulent multi-level marketing schemes, unsafe financial investment channels and misleading “get rich quick” programmes.

The job fair aims to provide students with trustworthy job options and clearer insight into current labour-market requirements.

This year’s event featured 30 companies recruiting directly at on-site booths and 86 employers conducting online recruitment through the university’s platform vieclam.ou.edu.vn.

More than 2,000 part-time vacancies for the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) and 500 internship placements were introduced.

Major recruiters included AEON, Circle K, Katinat, Golden Gate, KFC Vietnam, Ministop, McDonald’s, Jollibee, FamilyMart, Starbucks, Kohnan, and GS25. Internship providers such as CareerViet, Lotte Mart, and Woori Bank also participated.

In addition to recruitment activities, companies offered career consultations and held on-site interviews to identify dynamic and competent young applicants.

Vice Rector of the HCM City Open University Associate Prof Dr Lê Xuân Trường delivers remarks at the university’s eighth annual part-time job fair on December 7. — Photo courtesy of HCMCOU

Strengthening career guidance, industry linkages

Vice Rector of HCMCOU Associate Prof Dr Lê Xuân Trường said each year more than 83 per cent of new students want part-time work to gain experience and support their studies.

“We encourage them to take on jobs that fit their schedules, but we also recognise the risks posed by fraudulent or harmful schemes,” he said.

This was why the university has prioritised partnerships with reputable businesses to ensure that students access trustworthy opportunities.

Over the past eight years, the fair has attracted 336 participating enterprises and generated more than 7,500 part-time and seasonal job opportunities for students.

The university will continue strengthening cooperation with employers to build a sustainable bridge between the university, businesses and students, he added.

Established in 1990, HCMCOU has continually strengthened its practical, industry-linked training model to supply high-quality human resources.

The university completed its second institutional accreditation in 2023 and currently has 39 accredited training programmes under international and domestic standards, including FIBAA (Europe), Việt Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training, and AUN-QA (Southeast Asia).

It consistently ranks among Việt Nam’s leading universities in scientific research and has been recognised in global ranking systems such as Times Higher Education (THE), QS, Webometrics and Scimago.

It was among the top eight Asian institutions nominated for the “Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year 2020” at the THE Awards Asia, and in 2023 became the first Vietnamese university to receive the “Making a Difference for Students” award from US-based Quality Matters.

In the 2026 THE rankings, it was listed in the top six nationwide and placed in the 1201–1500 global band. It was also ranked 126th in Southeast Asia and 721–730 in Asia by QS in 2026.

It has forged partnerships with more than 700 domestic and international organisations, educational institutions and businesses to enhance career guidance and employment support for students.

A notable outcome of these partnerships is the university’s professional online recruitment portal, vieclam.ou.edu.vn, which has connected thousands of employers nationwide.

Over the past decade, nearly 14,000 companies have posted job openings through the platform, creating around 45,000 employment opportunities — from full-time roles to internships and part-time jobs — for students.

More than 90 per cent of HCMCOU graduates secure employment within 12 months of graduation, with a high percentage working in positions directly related to their majors. — VNS