The effort aims to help students better understand their abilities, development trends and real labor market demand, enabling them to make informed decisions about their future paths.

The province currently has 33 high schools with more than 6,700 grade 12 students. With the 2025-2026 academic year already two-thirds complete, final-year students are entering a crucial stage: preparing for the graduation exam while deciding on their future careers.

To meet this need, high schools have actively reviewed and assessed each student’s academic ability in order to design revision plans suited to their level while offering guidance aligned with their aspirations after graduation. Career guidance is being implemented systematically under the 2018 General Education Curriculum.

Schools have established career counseling teams, assigning teachers to take charge of the work while strengthening cooperation with vocational training institutions and businesses to provide updated information on workforce demand and labor market trends. This helps students gain practical insights when choosing career paths suited to their strengths and personal circumstances.

According to Trần Đăng Ninh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, the 2018 General Education Curriculum introduced significant changes in both teaching content and methods. Experiential learning and career guidance have become compulsory components at the high school level, included in the official curriculum with 105 class periods per year. “These activities are integrated into the timetable and taught by designated teachers, just like other subjects”, he said, adding that the department has directed schools to select experienced and qualified teachers to deliver career guidance and experiential learning programs.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, Điện Biên Province Boarding High School for Ethnic Minority Students has more than 270 grade 12 students. Following the goals of the 2018 curriculum, the school organizes mock exams to help categorize students and develop suitable study plans.

Through these activities, students gain clearer motivation and learning goals while understanding future workforce trends and requirements. As a result, the school consistently reports a 100% high school graduation eligibility rate each year, with a high proportion of students achieving good and excellent academic results. Follow-up surveys also show that about 90% of graduates find employment or pursue studies aligned with their chosen direction.

Vũ Trung Hoàn, Principal of the school, said effective career guidance requires a systematic approach tailored to students and local conditions.

“However, to further improve its quality, teachers need additional training in counseling skills and more resources to organize experiential activities. These help students better understand their strengths, learn about career requirements and feel more confident when choosing their future paths”, he said.

At Búng Lao High School, career counseling begins as early as grade 10, allowing students to identify their interests early and focus on subjects related to their chosen fields. Each year, the school surveys students and uses academic performance results as a basis for counseling them on suitable career choices. Experienced and qualified teachers are assigned to lead career counseling activities, while the school also works with recruitment and training institutions to organize career guidance and admissions counseling programs.

According to the Department of Education and Training, career guidance in high schools has shown positive progress in recent years and is gradually becoming more practical and effective. However, some students still choose majors based on trends or popularity, even in fields already facing an oversupply of labor. In addition, some high schools remain overly focused on graduation rates and university admission numbers, which can limit efforts to provide comprehensive career orientation for students after high school.

To improve the effectiveness of career counseling, each high school needs to clearly define its responsibility and implement consistent counseling solutions while strengthening partnerships with training institutions and businesses to provide practical labor market information. Parents are also encouraged to actively support and guide their children in choosing careers that match both their abilities and societal demand.