RMIT Vietnam boosts entrepreneurship education

Tiếng Việt

RMIT Vietnam boosts entrepreneurship education

RMIT Vietnam has introduced the Graduate Certificate in Business Startups in an effort to improve Vietnam's entrepreneurial landscape.

A study by Startup Genome, the global startup network, has found that 90% of all businesses fail within their first five years. Despite the risks involved in starting a new business, RMIT Vietnam believes startups can be valuable and transformative for the economy.

Students will learn the progression of new venture creation through a series of collaborative and authentic learning experiences.

“Successful scalable businesses have the potential to transform entire industries, locally, regionally and globally,” said Associate Professor Mathews Nkhoma, Head of School of Business & Management. “Therefore, RMIT Vietnam aims to be the centre of knowledge in South-East Asia with regards to entrepreneurship to facilitate this potential force.”

The new Graduate Certificate in Business Startups program, consisting of four courses, will officially launch in April as part of RMIT Vietnam’s strategic efforts to create an entrepreneurial culture in the University and greater community.

Culminating in a capstone experience, the program offers students the opportunity to learn the process behind starting a new venture through a series of collaborative and authentic learning experiences.

“Students will learn about the process, challenges, risks and rewards of starting up a new venture. They will be equipped with the tools required to start a new business in different industries and sectors, and improve their chances of successfully calling for investment for their startups,” said Dr Steven Clarke, MBA Program Lead.

These skills will be gained through the real-life experience of developing business plans, as well as engaging with partner organisations, executives, industry experts and local startups. Students will also have the opportunity to pitch their plans to venture capitalists and investors.

According to Dr Clarke, the new program’s uniqueness lies in the way it trains students from both the perspective of an entrepreneur who has a business idea and the investor who has the capital to invest.

“The first two courses are from the entrepreneur's perspective, focusing on how to come up with an idea and develop a business model based on design thinking,” he explained. “Meanwhile, the second two take the investor’s perspective, focusing on how they think and where they invest their money.”

This program is offered through a flexible delivery mode, with digital and face-to-face components, which attracts many young entrepreneurs. The initial intake began in February with 34 students from Saigon South campus, Hanoi campus, and two foreign countries.

Two full scholarships have been sponsored by the Australian Embassy and will be awarded later this year.

The program’s launch event is on 5 April and will provide detailed information on the Graduate Certificate in Business Startups. The event will also bring together industry professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs to discuss the challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s dynamic startup sector. Register here. In the meantime, more information is available here.

Story: Le Thanh Phuong