Students from Vietnam

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Tackling the shortage of skilled workers: young people from Vietnam are being trained as care assistants in Krems. A delegation visited the project participants at the University of Hanoi.

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

150 students are currently attending an intensive language course at the University of Hanoi in Vietnam, 75 of whom will complete the one-year nursing assistant course at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems from March 2025. A delegation from Austria visited Vietnam to get a first-hand impression of the transnational project.

The health and care sector is facing major challenges. Experts are concerned that there will not be enough Austrian specialists in the future. To counteract the nursing shortage, 150 students from all parts of Vietnam are currently learning German every day at the University of Hanoi. They are part of the "International Nursing College" project, which is being run in cooperation with the University of Hanoi, the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems and the state of Lower Austria.

The project participants all have the same dream: to complete their training as nursing assistants at the International Nursing Center in Krems and gain a professional foothold in one of the facilities of the Provincial Health Agency (LGA). The LGA offers them a binding offer to start their careers during their training.

Public health and nursing care in Lower Austria

• 27 hospital locations for nursing care
• 47 nursing and care centers for the elderly
• 2 care and support centers for people with disabilities

Intensive training program
For 75 of the project participants, this dream will come true in March 2025, with a further 75 to follow the following year. In order to reach level B2 after the intensive language course, which lasts three semesters, the participants' progress is measured regularly. There is a German test almost every week. For many, a negative result means dropping out of the project.

Delegation trip to the Vietnamese capital
The fact that the young students are fully committed to the project was demonstrated on the delegation trip to Hanoi last week. Together with IMC FH Krems, representatives of Senecura, the provincial health agency and the "Krone" newspaper, Social Affairs Minister Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP) and her team visited the University of Hanoi in the capital of Vietnam.

"Through our joint commitment, we are enabling young people from Vietnam to receive excellent training as nurses in Lower Austria, the valuable nursing and care staff to receive additional support, which is urgently needed, and the residents to have professionally trained, motivated and highly committed staff in their homes," said Provincial Councillor Teschl-Hofmeister proudly about the project.

This cooperation between the University of Hanoi, IMC FH Krems and the state of Lower Austria is a shining example of the power of cooperation across national borders.

Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister, Landesrätin

The aim is to build a bridge between Vietnam and Lower Austria, says IMC Managing Director Ulrike Prommer: "Together we are creating a new path for education in general and the lives of many people in particular."

"Beginning is easy, perseverance is art" - with this proverb, Nguyen Van Trao, President of the University of Hanoi, emphasizes the more than 10 years of cooperation between IMC FH Krems and the University of Hanoi. This educational cooperation combines Asian values with European traditions and would be the basis for the education of a generation of citizens who feel responsible not only for themselves but also for the community. In this way, global problems could be solved with international ways of thinking and knowledge.

Hanoi University (HaNU)

Hanoi University is an institution for foreign language education and research. It offers bachelor's degrees in ten languages, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Master's and Ph.D. programs are offered in Russian, English, French and Chinese. Since 2002, students have been able to attend the English-language business bachelor's programs in business administration, tourism management, international studies, computer science, financial banking, marketing and accounting.

Heinz Boyer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and majority shareholder of the university of applied sciences, has maintained regular contact with the Vietnamese educational institution for many years. "It was important to me that the state government and the entire delegation were able to see the program for themselves on site. How well the teachers train the students there and how we run the whole project with a lot of passion - also thanks to Professor Markus Golla," said Boyer.

Signing ceremony at the University of Hanoi

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

Provincial Councillor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister with Nguyen Van Trao, President of the University of Hanoi

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

The two IMC Managing Directors Ulrike Prommer and Udo Brändle with Nguyen Van Trao, President of the University of Hanoi

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

The University of Hanoi welcomes the Austrian delegation

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

German teachers from the University of Hanoi with the Director of the "International Education Program Center" Nhat Tuan Nguyen (left), the Austrian Ambassador Hans-Peter Glanzer, IMC Supervisory Board Chairman Heinz Boyer, IMC Managing Directors Ulrike Prommer and Udo Brändle, Professor Markus Golla

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

Eva Friessenbichler (Head of Strategy and Quality Care at LGA), Rupert Schreiner (Head of Human Resources and Organization at LGA), Alfred Zens (Member of the Board of Directors at LGA) and Professor Markus Golla from IMC were on hand to answer questions from the students

(Bild: Phong Truyen Thong)

People helping people
For Professor Markus Golla, Head of the Institute of Nursing Science and Head of the Healthcare and Nursing degree program at IMC FH Krems, the cooperation is a project close to his heart. "I see people here who have a vision, who want to achieve something and go to another country. Here we have the opportunity to support these people. Every young person should have the chance to follow their dreams," says Golla. He makes one promise to the project participants in any case: when he hands over the first certificate in Lower Austria, he intends to give his speech in Vietnamese.

Scientific cooperation with Thuongmai University
IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems also works closely with Thuongmai University (TMU). In 2023, the first 42 students of the Bachelor's degree program "Business Administration" graduated from TMU in Hanoi. The Krems University of Applied Sciences also welcomes Erasmus+ scholarship holders from the Vietnamese university once a year, who gain valuable experience during their semester abroad.

"Every successful partnership is based on mutual respect, trust and the common pursuit of elite values. Together we can shape a future characterized by education, research and innovation," emphasizes Udo Brändle, Managing Director of IMC FH Krems.