1. The On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program: Students' Future Careers and Personal Development
- Author
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Chi Hong Nguyen and Tham Nguyen Van
- Abstract
In Vietnam, some universities develop a similar program to a practicum or an internship called an on-the-job training (OJT) program. However, this concept appears to be quite new to students, and its impacts on students' learning and growth remain under-researched. The current study explores how OJT programs impact students' future careers and personal development. The study used mixed research methods and data obtained from 150 students' responses at a private university in Vietnam via a 34-item questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that OJT programs significantly influence students' future professional and personal development as well as personal capacities. Spending a whole semester in enterprises arouses students' interest in intending what jobs they will take after graduation since they form a clearer orientation for their future careers. Besides the strengths observed, choosing a variety of firms, organizations, and job training positions and responsibilities for students is considered the program developers' great concern. The findings of this study show that learning that incurs during the OJT or practicum may emerge from students' social interactions, communications, and observations of their peers, supervisors, and others. Learning, in this sense, is both personally and socially constructed. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]
- Published
- 2023