Vietnam/Two training sessions boost the employability of French-speaking students in Phnom Penh

The Francophone Employability Center (CEF) in Phnom Penh, part of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), with support from the French Embassy in Cambodia through the Fonds Equipe France (FEF) program, organized, between March and May 2026, two sessions of the Professional Integration Module (MIP), which benefited 71 students from AUF member institutions. Each training session lasted 18 hours and helped Francophone students prepare for their entry into the job market.

These training programs were designed to strengthen students’ skills in several areas essential to entering the workforce: understanding the job market, developing a career plan, decision-making, writing a resume and cover letter, and preparing for job interviews. They also helped develop the soft skills sought by employers, in order to better prepare participants for the demands of the professional world.

To ensure accessibility and accommodate students’ schedules, the sessions were offered in a blended format, combining in-person and online learning. During the training, students were required to research potential calls for proposals, based on which they presented their decision-making processes and prepared their application materials. The instructor evaluated the students’ work based on the calls for proposals and application packages before administering a final exam on the knowledge acquired, as well as course evaluations.

The assessments conducted during and at the end of the training demonstrate a solid grasp of the skills targeted by the MIP. The students have made progress in their understanding of the expectations of the job market and in their ability to highlight their skills. The assignments completed—such as analyzing job postings, writing resumes and cover letters, and conducting mock interviews—demonstrate a satisfactory grasp of the course content. The satisfaction survey conducted at the end of the two sessions revealed a very high level of satisfaction.

Overall, the results of the assessments are considered very satisfactory and confirm that the educational objectives set at the beginning of the program were achieved. They also show that participants feel better prepared to enter the job market and to highlight their academic background to recruiters. Despite certain constraints related to student availability, the educational outcomes and satisfaction feedback confirm the relevance of the program implemented. A third professional integration training session is scheduled for next month at the CEF in Phnom Penh for French-speaking students from higher education institutions that are members of AUF-Cambodia.

Source: www.auf.org/