Swinburne masters pays off for AusAID student
Date posted: 15 Dec 2011
Nhu Anh
Just two-and-a-half years after graduating with a master of human resources from Swinburne in Melbourne, Nhu Anh reports directly to the deputy CEO of one of Vietnam’s central banks.The thirty-something is playing a direct role in the modernisation of the Vietnamese economy, and attributes the ‘sheer practicality’ of her 18 months’ masters training at Swinburne with her success at East Asia Bank.
“The content of the masters class is more practical than other Melbourne universities, because you are dealing with real issues and how HR (human resources) relates into the business environment,’’ Nhu said.
She was especially impressed by the clarity of the content regarding recruitment and selection, training and development, and performance management techniques.
Higher parts of the course dealt with the best techniques for liaising with line managers, a board of management and external consultants.
“I have seen this as really helpful to apply to my working life. Swinburne is a young, practical and business-oriented university and I love that,’’ she said.
Nhu also said that culturally, Asian and especially Vietnamese people had a lot to learn from the West in terms of team-work culture. This was another key attraction of studying at Swinburne, she said.
Nhu – who graduated with Master of Commerce in Human Resource Management from Swinburne – was supported through her postgraduate degree by an AusAID scholarship from the Australian government.
At the bank, Nhu has risen to deputy director of HR, responsible for organisation and development, and has seven subordinates, comprising HR managers and supervisors.
Vietnam is undergoing trade liberalisation, and professional human resource management was critical to this process, she said.
“Vietnam, as a developing country, is on the way to integrating and expanding its economy, so human resource management is very important. Training personnel for the future – a role overseen by HR management – is very necessary,’’ Nhu said.
A key part of her role over the next 18 months is helping to prepare the East Asia Bank for the major competitive challenge posed by the entry of foreign banks into Vietnam.
“From 2012, one of the policies of the Vietnamese government is that foreign banks can have the right to have as many products as a local bank. We’ll need to meet the strong competition from foreign and other leading local banks as well,’’ she said.
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