Human capital refers to the knowledge and skills acquired by students or
graduates, which are a foundation of their employability and employment outcomes.
This chapter will examine how English language education contributes to students’
development of overall knowledge and skills necessary for their future employment
and life. Two case studies with students and graduates of Hospitality and Tourism
and students of Information Technology will illustrate the ways in which English
language education impacts on the development of their discipline-specific skills.
Data were collected from 16 student interviews and a survey with 200 students and
graduates of the two disciplines. The results show that English language education
enhances students’ access to learning resources written in English, on top of those
written or presented in Vietnamese, which in turn contributes to advancing their
professional knowledge and skills. English language education also provides them
with the opportunity to strengthen communication skills, work-related and people
skills which are perceived to benefit their current work effectiveness for graduates
and future employability. All of these suggest that English language education can
greatly help develop students’ human capital.