Where to now, Philippine graduates?
By Dr. Jose Rene C. Gayo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines--Graduation ceremonies are often given the title “Commencement Exercises.” Webster’s Dictionary defines commencement as “an act, instance or time of commencing.” Commencing for what? Life as a professional.
The diploma that you have received is a guarantee to your future employers that you have passed the minimum requirements to practice the profession you have been trained in the past four or five years. Some will still have to go through and pass a licensure exam that is required in some professions before you actually practice your field of specialization.
Daunting
The challenge for graduates of 2009 is daunting because of a tough economic environment the world is now facing. What is your immediate future for a job prospect? For a great majority of graduates, it would mean months or years of searching for a job opening, hours of waiting in a cue for job interviews, outright rejection of a job application or simply silence from the company you have sent an application.
This situation that I have just described to you is nothing new. Generations of graduates from Philippine universities have experienced this simply because there are not enough jobs in the country for decades past. That is why we have the overseas Filipino worker phenomenon.
We are told that there is a mismatch between what the job market needs and what is actually taught in our universities. They say that graduates are not job-ready after four or five years of study. It is quite disheartening to hear that on your job interview fresh out of college your prospective employer will ask you: “What is your work experience?”
What seems to be the problem in our educational system?
In one forum not too long ago, I talked about agriculture education in our country. Talking from experience, I said that we learned much of our stuff only with a blackboard. After my presentation, one of the guys in the audience told me. You know, I am an engineer. You are not alone. We also learned our engineering through the blackboard. I learned later that he graduated summa cum laude from one of the top universities in the country.
After being exposed to many professionals in this country, I must say that there is something missing in the education that most universities give. We are good in theories but not in practice. That is the reason why when one receives the diploma, he or she is not that confident that he can perform well in the exercise of his profession.
So what needs to be done? Come June, we will open a new program to address a very specific need in our country today—farm managers and farm entrepreneurs. Let me give you a glimpse of what this program is all about.
The MFI Foundation, through our Farm Business Institute and the University of Rizal System, will offer jointly a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management major in Farm Business. What are the unique features of this program?
Combined effort
First, it is a “twinning” arrangement whereby two educational entities agreed to work together to deliver a degree program. Such arrangement is quite common in Europe but not in the Philippines. This twinning arrangement is also backed up by the Management Association of the Philippines as program partner.
Second, it makes use of “dual training system” where students spend much of their time on actual business operations than just sitting inside the classroom. The dual training system originated in Germany and has been cited as a reason for the competitive edge for many of its industries including car manufacturing.
Third, the program design is “ladderized,” which means that as the students course through each semester he earns a certificate that will allow the student to work here and abroad even after just a semester. Thus, if for one reason that student has to stop schooling; he or she is job-ready. Later on, if the person decides to come back to school, he moves on to the next semester.
After each semester of study, he earns another certificate that adds to his portfolio of skills that passes National Certifications. After two years of study, he will earn a Diploma in Entrepreneurship with concentration in Farm Business. And if he or she wants to complete the BS degree, two more years of study will make this happen.
Fourth, the program allows the student to “Earn while you Learn.” For every hour spent on hands-on training, the student will be paid a salary equal to 75 percent of minimum wage. Thus, it is possible for a student to come to us and enrolls in the program even if he doesn’t have the means to pay for his tuition and other incidental expenses.
Through this scheme, we can accommodate a talented student to earn a college degree even if his parents cannot afford to send him to the university.
Fifth, from day one, our students will go through an “internship program.” He or she will be immersed in the life of an entrepreneur because our program prepares our graduates to venture into entrepreneurship. This is the most important element in our program offering.
Lack of training
We believe that the lack of entrepreneurship training in our curricular programs is one major reason why our country has been a laggard economically. I believe that the lack of entrepreneurship training is one major reason for this.
Our graduates will not be one more “job seeker,” one more graduate vying for a position in the labor market. Our graduates after receiving their diploma will be full-fledged entrepreneurs who will be “job creators.” In commencing his career as an “entrepreneur” he had created for himself a job.
Later on, when his business grows, he will employ other people or may even partner with other people in his community to create a business enterprise to be registered as a cooperative. This is the model of an entrepreneur-workers cooperative. Cooperative is another type of business organization.
Our students will live, eat, study and work in our campus at least 24/5 (24 hours a day from Monday to Friday) because to be entrepreneur is not just an eight-hour job.
Career option
Our 60-hectare campus located in Punta, JalaJala, Rizal will be the equivalent to the Philippine Military Academy. In our case, we will prepare these students to become future leaders in the agribusiness sector.
So, here are some pointers I can give you to launch yourself in this uncertain world of work.
First, look into entrepreneurship as a career option. I’m sure some of you had entertained the thought of wanting to be your own boss and to own a business. Pursue that dream soon. One of the reasons why our country today is almost in the bottom from being second to Japan economically in Asia in the early ’60s is that we have lagged behind in business performance.
In those years going up to the ’80s, the Thais, Koreans, Taiwanese came to the Philippines to study agriculture and other courses. When they came back home, they applied their learnings to making their farms and businesses productive and profitable. Today, a great majority of Filipino farmers belong to the statistics that says “below poverty.” If only 10 percent of those of you take up this call to pursue entrepreneurship, then I think my effort to write to you is worth the while.
But you may ask, is this the best time to start a business when the world is in a crisis? I was told that the Chinese character for a problem is the same as that of an opportunity. So the problem itself also presents an opportunity. If your business plan sees the light precisely because of a crisis then there is no stopping you when the situation gets better.
Second, maybe the 90 percent will still opt for the path of “job seekers.” Fine, but while you are still waiting for that illusive job, spend your time productively by gaining some work experience. Work need not be paid work but one can volunteer to get the necessary work experience. I understand today, nursing graduates even pay hospitals just to get a slot for volunteer work so that they can show their future employers that they have some relevant work experience. There are always NGOs of LGUs in need of extra manpower. Volunteer in a job that is relevant to your field. This way you build up your portfolio of skills and work experience.
Third, of the 90 percent who are job seekers tomorrow, some may say that actually I want to have my own business but I still need to get some work experience and save for my capital. Maybe there are another 10 percent of these who will eventually start their own business after five years.
To those who will take this path, my advice is that you choose a job that gives you the tools for entrepreneurship—in marketing, production, finance or human resources. Some may even want to take a sideline by being a dealer for product distributorship in your own neighborhood.
Social enterprise
For example, the Gawad Kalinga recently launched a social enterprise called the Human Heart Nature Co. It is looking for distributors of beauty products that are organically produced. I’m sure some of the ladies would be interested in something like this. This and similar companies will give you training as part of the whole package.
Fourth, start the habit of saving by setting aside 10 percent of your income. This will provide you the needed equity when you decide to go full-time as an entrepreneur. For additional capital requirements, this early be a member of a cooperative in your area because business financing is one of the services they provide the members. Today, there are also a number of microfinance institutions that provide capital for microenterprises and business startups. There are also a number of government agencies that provide assistance to microentrepreneurs.
For example, if you have an interest related to tourism or business, you can look into the Department of Tourism’s GREET Livelihood Grants Program. GREET stands for Grassroots Entrepreneurs for Ecotourism. Ecotourism is one of the sunrise industries in the country today. If your parents have a farm, you may also develop it and open it up to visitors who will pay to see what you are doing. This is also one area that is quite new in the country—Farm Tourism.
Fifth, your best training for entrepreneurship is on-the-job, hands-on training. This is one of the reasons why the Chinese are successful in business. From the time they begin to count, they are already given some chores to help in the store or in their family business. This is internship per excellence.
You can only learn a few things from the business school but much of the learning comes from the school of hard knocks. If you have a hobby or a passion for something, consider making a business out of it. This is where work becomes a pleasure, not a burden.
Great businesses
Entrepreneurship is not for everybody. It is true that some people are born with it as a talent. It is part of their nature. But nature is just one element. One needs to nurture the talent to make it bloom. Why not give entrepreneurship a try? You can start very small as a sideline. Who knows? You may just discover that you have the aptitude for it.
The great businesses of this world started small—The Microsoft, the Hewlett-Packard, Google, Facebook and, closer to home, the SM just to name a few. These businesses were started by people who did not even have formal training in business, much less an MBA.
Your parents have not planned just for a year or even 10 years. Your parents have invested in you so that can make your dreams a reality, not just for you and your family, but for our country as well. Put your university education to good use and make it grow, so that like the strong narra trees, you can withstand the tempest of the storms in life.
(This article was lifted from the author’s commencement address before graduates of the University of Rizal System. Dr. Gayo is chair of the MAP AgriBusiness and Countryside Development Committee, and vice president and farm business institute group head of the MFI Foundation. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. )
Original Article - http://business.inquirer.net/money/columns/view/20090517-205564/Where-to-now-graduates
-Good question - what do the new grads from the Philippines do now.... great info on here too!!!
