The Pioneer Principal with New Directions

Students at Thu Duc Technology College

Starting her teaching career since 1989, the slender Nguyen Thi Ly would surprise many by choosing a specialization that was perceived as a men’s job: mechanical engineering. However, her passion for her chosen career and dedication to teaching had not only helped Nguyen Thi Ly to become a good lecturer, but also turn into a strong and decisive female principal of a prestigious college. 

Opportunities and challenges 

In recent years, while some colleges had struggled with the annual enrollment, Thu Duc Technology College (TDC) had managed to meet its targets. With the mindset and determination of a technical expert, Ms. Ly made bold decisions that not many heads of schools would dare to think or to do, and led TDC to new opportunities. The inclusion of logistics in TDC’s curriculum was an example of this decisive directions of this principal.

In 2018, TDC started enrolling and training logistics students. Recognizing the increasing need for human resources of this sector in the coming time, Ms Ly has made every effort to make logistics one of the leading majors to be selected by many students, and make TDC one of few institutions with formal training in logistics.

Despite the social perception that logistics should be more suitable for men than women, Ms. Ly thinks that women are not inferior to men in any occupation, and logistics is no exception. However, the TDC is often questioned by female candidates who express their concerns when registering for logistics. This presents the need for TDC to provide prospective students with a good understanding of what logistics is and what job requirements are. 

Today, the logistics industry has grown tremendously with the optimal support of machinery and technology. This enables women to handle their logistics jobs effectively.

On the other hand, women can make use of many advantages when working in logistics. These include their thoughtfulness, carefulness, meticulousness and flexibility when dealing with different contexts and situations … At TDC, female logistics lecturers show no inferiority to males in all activities.

Be innovative to become pioneers 

Logistics is a new field of study, yet schools should not exaggerate career opportunities in logistics to attract students. Facing the candidates’ questions to the admissions board about this new field, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly understands that the school and herself need to address these questions in a more specific and detailed manner. 

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly

On 13 August 2018, TDC officially became a member of Vietnam Logistics Business Association. As one of the six schools participating in the Aus4skills Program, Principal Nguyen Thi Ly had signed a cooperation agreement with logistics businesses to enhance engagement with the industry.

“As the head of one of the vocational education institutions which was chosen by the General Department of Vocational Training – the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to participate in many international projects, I understand my role and responsibilities in identifying key tasks, making decisions consistent with the school’s development orientation. In every project that I am invloved in, I have to consider how to unleash our full potentials, how to advance professional development for the lecturers and optimise benefits for learners ”– Ms. Ly shared.

In the Aus4skills program on supporting Vietnam’s logistics industry, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly created favourable conditions for key lecturers to be fully engaged, supported experts in training modules transfer and organising pilot training on forklift operation and order processing. 

TDC’s logistics graduates received job offers from many logistics businesses after graduation, thanks to the vocational knowledge, international standard skills and the ability to link with industry that they learned at school.

TDC has signed a cooperation agreement with businesses on training human resources in Logistics, exchanging lecturers, and internship. Especially, inclusion of “double training” model in logistics training is an innovative approach that is highly appreciated by the industry because of the mutual benefits it brings to both parties.

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Principal Nguyen Thi Ly is one of the role models for the determination and flexibility and education management and administration in Ho Chi Minh City. While TDC has 35 years of experience since its establishment, Ms. Ly has spent her 30 years teaching at and leading this institution.

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