IR Summer School 2017

Industrial Relations Summer School 2017

The ILO Country Office for Viet Nam, together with a number of senior labour researchers, initiated a plan for an Annual IR Summer School with two specific goals. First, it would provide training and academic resources for researchers. Second, it would provide the basis for regularizing a networking forum for researchers, high-potential teachers at public and non-public institutions, and freelance researchers on labour and employment issues, both within Viet Nam and with international scholars.

Background

The IR Summer School will be organized the first time in July 2017. Drawing on national and international expertise, the 2017 IR Summer School will provide an overview of IR developments, explore the relevant Vietnamese and international academic literature on this theme, introduce key research skills, and offer a field experience to connect theory and practice in a Vietnamese context. The IR Summer School will mobilize teaching and research insight from a leading international and a leading national research expert.


The IR Summer School will adhere to the following principles:
  • The IR Summer School is research focused and aims to develop academic capacity to improve IR research quality in Viet Nam;
  • The participants in the IR Summer School should therefore be primarily Vietnamese researchers, university lecturers, PhD candidates and those aspiring to become IR researchers.

Contents

The contents of IR Summer School 2017 are prepared in the joint efforts of an international expert, Professor Gregor Murray from University of Montreal who has tremendous experience in teaching IR as well as researching IR practices of different countries in the world and a national researcher, Dr. Do Quynh Chi – a Vietnamese researcher having years of working in labour-related issues. Two lecturers (and an ILO expert) will accompany participants through 3 main modules, in which the updated knowledge of Industrial theories and models as well as IR research in Viet Nam and research methodologies applicable in studying IR in local context will be presented in the participatory and pragmatic pedagogy, specifically:
IR as a field of study
Drawing the fundamental knowledge with comparative information on (1) key schools of thought in IR and peculiar differences in term of IR theories; (2) how the theories conceptualized different IR practices; and (3) various IR models around the world.
IR research in Viet Nam
Introducing literatures on IR in Viet Nam and description as well as analysis of Vietnamese IR system and practices, especially its strengths and weaknesses. This module also include some reflections on legal framework of IR in Viet Nam.Research methodologies applied in IR research and field research exercise
Identifying the essential and applicable research methodologies for Viet Nam researchers who work in labour studies and helping them understanding about the know-how of these methodologies. The theoretical basis will be exposed through a short field trip a 08 hour module of field research to experiment the research methods and knowledge acquired through lectures and team-work and to tackle different research question by using different methodologies.
The curriculum will take place over six days with a full-time, intensive programme of lectures, teamwork and group discussion on IR theories and models in various countries, on research methodologies, and on making the link between theory and research to produce insights relevant to Viet Nam. 

Targeted audience

Target audience of the IR Summer School 2017 will be:
  • Researchers from research institutions of Ministry of Labour-Invalids and Social Affairs and of social partners;
  • Lecturers and professors from universities;
  • PhD candidates with the research questions relating to labour and employment topics;
  • Employers and workers’ representatives;
  • ILO’s specialists and consultants and technical cooperation project staff; and
  • Industrial relations experts and practitioners.

Award for Excellence

A monitoring of the learning process will be conducted by Summer School lecturers. Participants will join in a series of assignments, interaction and discussion, by which the performance of participants will be recorded transparently.
By the end of this course, award will be conferred to the best participant of IR Summer School to join the 18th International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) World Congress held from 23 to 27 July 2018 in Seoul, South Korea. The World Congress is where professionals interested in all aspects of labour and employment relations meet to share ideas about new developments, ideas and practices in the field. The best student of IR Summer School 2017 is expected to participate immensely to the discussion sessions of the 18th ILERA World Congress with theme of Employment for a Sustainable Society: What is to Be Done?
For further information about the 18th ILERA World Congress, please see www.ilera2018.org/.

Applications

Applicant should include in their application (1) a Curriculum Vitae; (2) a Motivation Letter explaining how this will help the participants enhance their professional skills and how they will use them in their respective organizations; and (3) answers for the Survey enclosed.
The application should be submitted to the ILO no later than 30 June 2017, to:
(1) Official address of the ILO Country Office for Viet Nam
48-50 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi; or
(2) Research Assistant of New Industrial Relations Framework Programme, Ms Le Thi Tra My via her email: my@ilo.org
For further information, please see the flyer or contact Ms. Le Thi Tra My via email: my@ilo.org or cellphone: +84 91 109 1190