Training Program Empowering women in leadership for Whole Person Education at universities in Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Sponsored by the United Board, Phase 1 – face-to-face workshop series of the training program took place at University of Social Sciences & Humanities (USSH), HCM-VNU from January 12 to 15, 2021. The program gathered 30 female participants who are leaders in various fields from different universities throughout the country.

Commencing the program was an inspiring speech from Prof. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, the first female president of USSH. Not only did she share about her journey and challenges as the first female president, she also reinforced confidence among the participants by giving insights about women in leadership, connecting all participants and motivate their engagement in the upcoming workshops.

Prof. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan receiving Letter of Appreciation from the Program’s representative
Image: Tuyết RCOM

During the 4-day of training, the participants engaged in networking and teamworking as they attending informative speeches from renowned keynote speakers in the field. From USSH: Dr. Le Hoang Dung, Vice President; Dr. Nguyen Duy Mong Ha & Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Tham as mentors for the participants. From SEAMEO RETRAC: Dr. Ho Thanh My Phuong, Director and from the National Council for Education and HR Development, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong.

The workshops gave the participants opportunity to build leadership capacity and discuss strategies such as communicating and negotiating strategies, resolving conflicts, developing leadership styles, etc. All participants had the chance to work both in teams and individually to maximize their potential.

Participants of the training program with Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong
Image: Trần Đào

Towards the end of Phase 1, each participant applied what they acquired to to work on their Project Action Plan (PAP) which will be further guided in the next phase. Phase 2 of the program will be held online from February until May, 2021.

 

Training Program

Empowering women in leadership for Whole Person Education at universities in Vietnam and Southeast Asia

Phase 1 of the project was successfully organized as face-to-face training sessions from 12 to 15 January, 2021 with the participation of 30 women leaders from various fields of universities across the country. Through the first phase, participants had the opportunity to network and discuss leadership strategies and techniques to apply those into their plans in phase 2.

Following, the participants received support from their mentors to develop their Project Action Plan (PAP) through online guided sessions. Among 30 PAPs submitted, 07 were selected to give presentations in the final workshop.

The final workshop took place virtually on May 05. Through the PAPs presented, many facets of women leadership were discussed in terms of strategies and key actions. These includes fostering the staff’s growth as well as implementing operational changes. Accommodating to the staff’s personal and professional development are plans that support women staff in pursuing work-life balance and self-confidence, strengthening academic skills (research, publishing, teaching, etc.) as well as language and digital competencies. Besides fostering the staff’s growth, ideas regarding enhancing leadership through digitalization for transparency and faculty’s solidarity building were also introduced. Participants had the opportunity to give oral peer feedback as well as engage in further discussions.

Along with the PAPs, the success stories and lessons learned during the training program and each individual leadership journey was also shared among the participants. Most participants agreed that they gained more knowledge about leadership skills as well as the current and prospective situation concerning women leadership, which support them in their journey and reinforce their self-confidence as leaders.

The workshop concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Le Hoang Dung, member of the project leading board, closing off the two-phased training program where women leaders had the chance and time to connect and foster both personal and professional development.