Building a STEM platform strong enough to confidently step through many positions
A noteworthy figure from the Ministry of Education and Training, in 2026 there are about 467,590 candidates registering for STEM majors, accounting for 53.4% of candidates registering for university admission. A more substantive question needs to be raised: after graduation, what practical abilities will learners possess that the market is looking for?
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Future of Employment Report, by 2030, changes in technology, economy, demographics and green transition will create 170 million new jobs, while losing 92 million existing jobs. Notably, about 39% of workers' current skill sets are forecast to change or become obsolete. Therefore, the core issue is not to predict "which profession will exist", but to determine which competencies help people adapt as the career structure constantly changes.
This is why STEM education is increasingly receiving special attention. STEM is not simply a group of engineering or technology fields to choose from when entering university, but first of all an educational method that helps develop comprehensive competence through interdisciplinary connections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Therefore, studying STEM does not necessarily require becoming a laboratory engineer, programmer or researcher. The process of enjoying STEM education helps learners form the habit of asking questions, analyzing data, experimenting, designing solutions, mastering technology and coordinating effectively to solve practical problems.
For Vietnam, as the economy shifts strongly from a low-cost labor-based model to high-tech industries with high added value, the lack of digital skills and in-depth skills is creating significant barriers. The "skills-first" approach promoted by the OECD suggests that the labor market is shifting from prioritizing degrees to recognizing the actual skills that a person can apply.
Choosing STEM, therefore, should not be a race for majors that are labeled "hot". A smart decision is to focus on building a STEM competency foundation that is solid enough for learners to confidently step through many positions and different professions. Diplomas may open the first door, but it is the actual competence from STEM education that determines how far an individual can go in their career.
Convergence between AI and STEM
STEM education no longer stops at teaching students manual technical operations, memorizing algorithms or assembling robot models according to templates. When AI can automate most basic technical stages, the core values of STEM learners shift strongly to the high-level competency group: problem-setting competence, data thinking and the ability to evaluate results from technology.
In the AI era, the skill of "prompt engineering" has become an important thinking ability. AI can give countless answers, but only people with a solid STEM knowledge base know how to ask questions accurately, dissect the nature of the problem and access the necessary data. More importantly, the results created by AI are not always accurate or optimal. Students need to be equipped with critical thinking to verify data, detect logical errors, assess technical safety and assess the feasibility of solutions that AI suggests. Technology can provide raw materials, but human thinking is the filter that determines the final quality.
The convergence between AI and STEM also opens up opportunities to solve practical problems with superior speed and scale. Thanks to AI tools and non-code platforms, technical barriers are significantly lowered. High school students today can completely use AI to analyze environmental sensor data, forecast local weather trends, or design applications to support people with disabilities without having to go through many years of in-depth programming.
However, the integration of AI into STEM will not be complete if there is no ethical stimulus of technology and social responsibility. STEM education in the new era must help students clearly recognize the risks of data bias, privacy, information security and the impact of technology on the environment as well as the community. Using AI to solve practical problems is not only to make products work, but also to ensure that the solution is humane, safe and sustainable.
The most important shift that STEM education is aiming for in the AI era is to turn learners from the "Consumer" generation to the "Creator" generation. If they only stop at using AI as an entertainment tool or help with homework, students are still just passive consumers. Conversely, when they know how to combine STEM integration thinking with the power of AI to create new processes, optimize resources or solve a specific inadequacy of life, students have officially entered the position of creators.
