Private Employers' Expectations and Job Requirements For Ab English Graduates of Jose Rizal University Implication To University Industry Partnership

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 133

JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY

College of Liberal Arts, Criminology, and Education

PRIVATE EMPLOYERS’ EXPECTATIONS AND JOB REQUIREMENTS


FOR AB ENGLISH GRADUATES OF JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY:
IMPLICATION TO UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP

A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of
Liberal Arts, Criminology, and Education

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Arts Major in English

Eloisa Ann J. Antinero


Roselyn P. Atienza
Raine Danielle S. Delfin
Jessa R. Rotoni
Kris P. Santos

March 2017
Philippine Copyright 2017
by the Authors
and the College of Liberal Arts, Criminology, and Education
Jose Rizal University

All rights reserved. Portions of this manuscript may be reproduced with proper
referencing and due acknowledgment of the author.
APPROVAL SHEET

This undergraduate thesis entitled, “PRIVATE EMPLOYERS’

EXPECTATIONS AND JOB REQUIREMENTS FOR AB ENGLISH GRADUATES

OF JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY: IMPLICATION TO UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY

PARTNERSHIP”, prepared and submitted by Eloisa Ann J. Antinero, Roselyn P.

Atienza, Raine Danielle S. Delfin, Jessa R. Rotoni and Kris P. Santos, in partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English, has

been examined and is recommended for approval.

____________________________
ARIEM V. CINCO, MRIEng(Sr)
Research Adviser

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

Approved by the COMMITTEE ON ORAL EXAMINATION with a grade of _____.

____________________________________
GUIA F. CONSTANTINO, MAT, MAELED
Chairman

_____________________________ ________________________
ELEONORA E. CLARICIA, MAEd. RUTH I. GUTIERREZ, MAN
Member Member

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the


conferment of the Degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education.

_______________________
HENRY G. MAGAT, Ed. D
Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Criminology, and Education
CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that the research work presented in this thesis entitled,

“PRIVATE EMPLOYERS’ EXPECTATIONS AND JOB REQUIREMENTS FOR

AB ENGLISH GRADUATES OF JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY: IMPLICATION TO

UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY PARTNESHIP” for the degree Bachelor of Arts Major

in English at the Jose Rizal University embodies the result of original and

scholarly work carried out by the undersigned. This thesis does not contain

words or ideas taken from published sources or written works that have been

accepted as basis for the award of a degree from any higher education

institution, except where proper referencing and acknowledgment were made.

ELOISA ANN J. ANTINERO


ROSELYN P. ATIENZA
RAINE DANIELLE S. DELFIN
JESSA R. ROTONI
KRIS P. SANTOS
Researchers

Date Signed: ______________


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researchers extend their sincerest gratitude and appreciation

to the following people who gave their full support, unwavering assistance,

guidance, and motivation for the completion of this study:

To Dr. Reynold C. Padagas, the researchers’ Edu 51 and 52

Professor, for his outstanding guidance, constant encouragement, and valuable

professional assistance.

To Prof. Ariem V. Cinco, the researchers’ thesis adviser, for his

adjuration, upholding motivation, wise supervision, enlightenment, and patience.

To Dr. Avelino S. Caraan, Jr., the researchers’ thesis statistician, for

his kindness and patience in his assistance for the success of the study.

To Prof. Romarico Barrientos, the researchers’ language editor, for

his best assistance and stimulation to have a desirable quality of paper to

produce.

To Dr. Henry G. Magat, Dean of College and Liberal Arts,

Criminolgy, and Education, for signing the researchers’ letter to conduct and

gather data outside the university.

To Mr. Mendelson P. Quiba, Director of the Guidance and Testing

Office, for his guidance, motivation, and support in validating the research

questionnaire, giving valuable inputs to the study as a field professional, and for

his time and effort in accommodating with the data needed by the researchers

from the Guidance and Testing Office.


Dr. Rhea L. Santillan, for her assistance in validating the research

questionnaire.

To Ms. Rosela D. Del Mundo, University Librarian; Ms. Noemi R.

Bugarin, Assistant University Libriran; and Ms. Rechy S. Llamas for their friendly

help and assistance in providing letters, allowing the researchers to visit different

libraries.

To Prof. Nawaz Ume-Amen, a researcher from Dow University, and

Dr. Yolanda G. Gadon, a researcher from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng

Valenzuela in the Camanava Area, for allowing the researchers to use their

standardized research questionnaires.

To Prof. Guia F. Constantino, Chairman of the Languages

Department; Prof. Eleonora E. Claricia, Chairman of Mathematics Department;

and Prof. Ruth I. Gutierrez, the researchers’ panellists, for making this study

feasible and for their wisdom and insightful comments.

To the respondents of this study, for their time, understanding, and

patience in answering the survey questionnaire and interview questions.

To the following people who voluntarily helped the researchers to

distribute the questionnaires unto different respective areas of respondents: Ellen

Ruth G. Aboy, Rommel T. Angeles, Charisse Ann B. Biñan, Sandra P.

Buenaventura, Patrick Dan S. Calderon, Hannah Orchidia B. Costas, Ma. Delia

B. Costas, Aubrey H. De Jesus, Jason S. Domingo, Elaine B. Encela, Ryan B.

Encela, Riyo Lendl L. Enriquez, Ricky Iwashita, Hiromi M. Lascano, Sam E. Liya,

John Alfred V. Manalang, Nestle T. Mendoza, Ron Jairus A. Nalunat, Jelian


Quezel R. Rotoni, Joy Ashren R. Rotoni, Elizabeth M. Santos, and Ma. Carole P.

Santos.

To the researchers’ beloved parents, for their unceasing motivation,

inspiring words, and financial and moral support.

To the researchers’ friends, for keeping them as motivated

throughout the class hours and while working on the paper.

Above all, to our Almighty God, Jehovah for giving the researchers’

full knowledge, guidance, wisdom, and chance to showcase His glory through

this humble work.


ABSTRACT

Title : PRIVATE EMPLOYERS’ EXPECTATIONS AND


JOB REQUIREMENTS FOR AB ENGLISH
GRADUATES OF JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY:
IMPLICATION TO UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY
PARTNERSHIP

Researchers : ELOISA ANN J. ANTINERO


ROSELYN P. ATIENZA
RAINE DANIELLE S. DELFIN
JESSA R. ROTONI
KRIS P. SANTOS

Degree : Bachelor of Arts Major in English

College & Institution : College of Liberal Arts Jose Rizal University

Year : 2017

Adviser : ARIEM V. CINCO, MRIEng(Sr)

This study was conducted to determine the expectations of private

employers, their job requirements for AB English graduates and the value of

being able to meet those expectations and requirements. The questionnaires

include the knowledge, attitudes, skills and the evaluation tools and

methodologies they use. To generate descriptive data, the Statistical Package

for the Social Sciences (SPSS v. 23) and Microsoft Excel 2013 were utilized.

Meanwhile, weighted mean, frequency distribution, and ranking were employed

to identify the importance of the variables in the study. A total of 45 respondents

completed the survey, BPO (31%), ESL (11%), Private School (31%), and

Publishing Company (27%), with a 59.21% response rate.


The findings revealed that the expectations were all ranked as

"Very Important"; attitude is the most important quality by means of ranking.

Communicative Competence ranked the highest for the specific expected

competencies. The data delineated that the BPO industry hires the most

number of AB English graduates. Furthermore, Behavioral Interview is the most

commonly used evaluation tool and Face-to-face Interview for evaluation

methodologies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title Page i
Copyright Page ii
Certificate and Approval Sheet iii
Certificate of Originality iv
Acknowledgments v
Abstract vi
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables viii
List of Figures ix

Chapter Page

1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….. 1

Background of the Study…………………….……………………….. 1


Statement of the Problem……………………….……………………. 3
Significance of the Study………………………………………….….. 3
Scope and Limitation of the Study…………………………………… 5

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE………………….………….. 6

Local and Foreign Sources…………………………………………… 6


Synthesis of Related Literature and Studies ………………………… 35
Theoretical and Conceptual Framework..……….…………………… 40
Research Hypothesis…………………………………………………... 43
Definition of Key Variables………….………………………………… 44

3 METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………… 45

Population and Sample……………………………………………….. 45


Instruments………………….……..…………………………………… 46
Procedures………………………………….………………………….. 48
Statistics……………………..…………………………………………. 49

4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 51


OF DATA………………………………………………………….…….

5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.…….. 64

Summary of Findings………………………………………………….. 64
Conclusions………………………………………………………….…. 67
Recommendations…………………………………………………..…. 68

REFERENCES….…………………………………………………………………. 72
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………… 78
A. Research Questionnaire (with cover letter)…………………………….. 78
B. Letter Request from the Dean……………………………………………. 82
C. Research Questionnaire Validation Form……………………………... 84
D. Approval Letter from the Author of Questionnaire…………………….. 102
E. Letter for Library Visit…………………………………………………….. 103
F. Interview Transcription…………………………………………………… 105
G. Curriculum Vitae…………………………………………………………. 109
H. Calendar of Activities (Gantt Chart)…………………………………….. 119
LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page


1 Frequency and Percentage of Respondents According to Type of
Company……………………………………………………………. 47
2 The 5-point Likert Scale……………………………………………… 49
3 Mean Distribution of Employer Expectation regarding Fresh AB
English Graduates……………………………………………………. 52
4 Mean Distribution of Employer Expectation of newly hired
graduates by Attitude, Skill and Knowledge……………………….. 54
5 Mean Distribution and Ranking of Employer Expectation of Newly
Hired Graduates by Specific
Competencies………………………………………………………….. 57
6 Frequency of Job Positions of AB English graduates from 2010–
2015 based on the data from the Tracer Study conducted by
Guidance and Testing Office……………………………………… 60
7 Frequency and Percentage of Evaluation Tools used by
Companies…………………………………………………………….. 62
8 Frequency of Evaluation Methodologies used by Companies…… 63
LIST OF FIGURE

Figure Title Page


1 Private Employers’ Expectations and Job Requirements for
AB English Graduates of Jose Rizal University: Implication to
University –Industry……………………………………………... 43
Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the introduction of the study. This also

presents the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the

significance of the study and the scope and limitation.

Background of the Study

With the growing number of college graduates, the higher learning

institutions in the Philippines are faced with the challenge of being effective

producers of degree holders. This is reflected by the current employment trend

where the population of both undereducated and underemployed is increasing. In

response, the government through Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) in

1994 by Republic Act No. 7722 made intense efforts to enhance the quality of

education in higher institutions by mandating 12 units that are intended to fulfill

industry needs (Vea, 2014).

The undergraduate program of Bachelor of Arts Major in English

(AB English) provides a comprehensive study intended to enrich students with

the knowledge and skills to gain high English proficiency level and to be eloquent

speakers (Pannogan & Ocampo, 2016). With a variety of choices of career paths,

graduates can apply to different companies. Polytechnic University of the

Philippines (PUP) cited their English major alumni with jobs from various

industries such as education, call center, journalism, broadcasting, publishing,

research, entertainment, public relations, and government. However, most AB

English graduates are still uncertain about what job to get, given that it is not a
2

business-oriented course. The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) does

not require the students to undergo a practicum, which adds to their problem of

work-readiness and lack of career field information ("The Commission," 2010).

According to Sewel and Pool (as cited in Jusoh, Simun & Chong,

2011), the main role of universities and colleges is to ready the students for

today's employment market. It is crucial that the students are exposed to the

"real world" for them to be better prepared and meet the needs of any employers

(Lockhart, 2013). Yamnill & McLean (as cited in Iqbal, Anuar, Nabi & Muneer,

2013) stated that training will "transform the employees’ performance and hence

the firm’s productivity." However, according to Villegas (2009), the practice of

partnership is restricted to some areas like practicums, graduate placement and

curriculum design. Academe and industry cooperate in creating the

undergraduate curricula which are based on the desired learning outcomes.

The success of an institution lies with its graduates and the quality

of its graduates (San Jose, 2014). This quality can be measured through their

employability gained from real-world based experiences (Bamber, 2012). Lee's

study (as cited in Wijewardene, 2014) emphasizes the fact that employees with

leadership and interpersonal skills, teamwork and good command of English in

both oral and written, are much preferred by the employers. Being equipped with

good background of literature, exposure to researches and studies, good

command of English, and above average oral and communication skills, AB

English graduates can easily fit in this competitive world (Pannogan & Ocampo,

2016).
3

Statement of the Problem

Generally, the study aimed to determine the expectations of private

employers, their job requirements for AB English graduates, and in the process,

the value of being able to meet those expectations and requirements.

Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What are the most important job expectations of various industries

for AB English graduates by attitude, skill and knowledge?

2. How are pertinent qualities, and skills such as leadership,

communicative competence, literacy and numeracy, critical

thinking, management, and information technology ranked

according to importance by private employers?

3. What are the most common employment opportunities in the

private sector for AB English graduates based on the data from the

Tracer Study conducted by Guidance and Testing Office?

4. What are the different assessment methodologies and tools used

by private employers during the selections process?

5. Is there a significant difference among the expectations of

employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry

by Knowledge, Skill and Attitude?

Significance of the Study

This study aimed to benefit the following:

Students. Through this study, AB English students should be

aware of the Private Employers’ expectations and job requirements after they
4

finish their course. This should help the students holistically develop their

academic competence and employability skills such as leadership,

communication, literacy and numeracy, critical thinking, management,

information technology, and work ethics.

Educators (Instructors / Professors /Teachers). The results and

recommendations of the study should help professors to facilitate effective

learning. This study should also help them enrich their pedagogies in line with the

needed preparations of AB English students for their future employment.

Future Researchers. The results that should be drawn from this

study can be a reference for future researchers exploring a related field or on the

subject of University – Industry Partnerships.

Curriculum Makers. Results of this study may be used as a basis

for the improvement of the AB English curriculum, making it parallel with the

industry requirements and as prescribed by Commission on Higher Education.

Educational Institution. This study should be beneficial to Jose

Rizal University in promoting quality education and in establishing linkages with

companies for On-the-Job Training (OJT) and employment partnerships.

Industries. Cooperating firms, industries and companies which

accept student trainees should benefit in linking up with Jose Rizal University.

This study should help improve companies’ competitive advantage and

intellectual pool.
5

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the expectations and job

requirements of private employers for AB English graduates and was limited to

BPOs, ESL Tutoring Centers, Publishing Companies and schools located in the

Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, Antipolo City and the City of Manila. The study

was conducted during the first and second semesters of the A.Y. 2016 – 2017,

and lasted for eight months, from June 2016 to January 2017.
Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the local and foreign related literature and

studies. This chapter also presents the synthesis, the theoretical and conceptual

framework, and the definition of key variables.

Local Literature

Employment is one of the major problems faced by the Filipinos

today. Salvosa (2015) stated in his report that ―job creation has struggled to keep

pace with an expanding population.‖ As a result, the number of individuals

entering the job market is higher than the jobs created. Another reason for this

problem may be the low quality of jobs available in the country. In connection to

this, the International Labour Organization (ILO), in its report published in April

2015, recommended the following to support the creation of quality jobs and

poverty reduction in the Philippines:

1. Facilitating a greater role of investment, including through better

infrastructure and channelling of remittances.

2. Mainstreaming productive employment in policy efforts such as the

industry roadmaps.

3. Investing in the development of relevant skills for the labour force in

the Philippines.

4. Strengthening the social protection framework to alleviate the

adjustment costs of the structural changes that the economic

development of the country requires.


7

5. Enhancing the labour market information system to ensure policy

decisions are informed and coherent.

According to the Labour Force Survey conducted by the Philippine

Statistics Authority (PSA), as of April 2016, the employment rate is 93.9 %;

underemployment rate, 18.4%; Labour Force Participation Rate, 63.6 %; and

Unemployment Rate, 6.1 %. The department reported that the 0.3 % increase in

Employment rate from 93.6 % in April 2015 to 93.9 % in April 2016 is a result of

the government’s effort to create more and better jobs.

Despite the job opportunities available, AB English graduates are

not exempted from the employment problem in the Philippines. On career options

in the BPO sector, English major graduates have advantage over other aspiring

call center agents due to their proficiency and mastery in both verbal and written

English (De Leon, Razon & Murillo, 2009). Since only few English major

graduates are accepted into television, radio and print companies, these degree

holders are compelled to begin their careers at BPO (2009).

The Philippines, known as the third largest English-speaking

country in the world, is considered as one of the best places for outsourcing

businesses. The country is one of the best places for BPO, mainly because the

Filipino people can compete and stand out globally (Cocoba, Lagundary &

Gagarea, 2014). As stated by DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), the

Philippines is now fast emerging as the call center capital of the world. The

country offers multilingual and multimedia supported valuable services for


8

marketing, sales, customer care, crisis management, investor relations, technical

support and other key business applications.

The country's BPO sector has employed around six hundred

thousand Filipinos and is expected to expand by at least 20 percent before the

year ends, with 1.6 million employees across more than twenty BPO sectors

according to IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP)

(Cocoba et al., 2014). Also, Filipinos are known worldwide for being skilful

workers, proficient in English, trainable, good at communication, and are IT

literate. The Philippines can cope with the latest advances in technology. The

telecommunications infrastructure is improving and offer products and services

on technology. Most investors are continuously branching out call centers in

other parts of the Philippines.

Other than jobs offered by BPOs, there are several jobs related to

English studies that graduates can apply to: English Teacher, Personal English

Tutor, English Language Trainer in ESL Tutoring Centers, Marketing

Communication Specialist, Public Relations Officer, Academician, Editor, and

Foreign Service Officer. (―AB English in the Philippines‖, 2010)

Despite this dilemma on job mismatch, underemployment, and the

like, the Filipino workforce maintains a good hold of their motivation at work. On

types of employee recognition, employees are driven by both intrinsic (rewards

received from job itself) and extrinsic (rewards given for good performance)

rewards. According to De Leon, Razon and Murillo (2009), both sources of

motivation is an effective reward system. Although financial rewards are the most
9

motivational, others are also important to enhance employee performance and

desired employee behaviors. Hence, rewards should be performance-based.

However, it must be noted that employees can be motivated to

perform well at work in many different ways. Abasolo (1991), suggested the

types of motivation that managements should provide to its employees: financial

motivation that includes all methods involving money that an employee may

receive as a result of his employment such as wage or salary, bonus, benefits,

commissions, allowances; non-financial motivation includes those non-financial

motives of individuals, groups or organization of employees to take well-directed

action in order to satisfy certain human needs such as psychological, safety,

social and self-actualization needs; positive motivation involves the great rewards

for a job well done to employees. These rewards may take the form of salary

increases, promotions, merit increases, bonus, and recognition. Negative

motivation refers to any method of motivation taking the form of fear, fear of

losing a job, reduction in pay, bonus or commission, demolition used as a penalty

for failing to meet organizational standards or requirements. Employees greatly

value the appreciation or recognition that they get from supervisors for a job well

done.

Performance, as a manifestation of the employees’ motivation and

competence, must be reinforced. Therefore, it is necessary that employers’

would look into both the motivations and the various competencies that an

employee has. Communicative competence is one of the competencies

important for AB English graduates. Communicative competence has four


10

components: grammatical competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistics

competence and strategic competence (Canale & Swain, 1980). Grammatical

competency is the foundation of communication competence of a person

(Pulmones, 2009). Gleason, Jr. claimed that ―grammar is the key to our

understanding of verbal communication‖ which is also applicable in written forms

(as cited in Marshall, 2014, p. 154).

Pulmones (2009) explained that Communicative Language

Teaching (CLT) determines an individual’s grammar competence through

interpretation, expression or negotiation of meaning. Thus, grammatical

competence is the ―ability to recognize the lexical, morphological, syntactic and

phonological feature of a language and to make use of these features to interpret

and form words and sentences‖ (Murcia, 2006, p. 257).

Foreign Literature

The undergraduate years of the students are the period when they

obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to excel and be efficient in their

workplace. College graduates are expected to be more competitive, skilled,

adaptable, future-oriented, ideological thinker and inclined to add knowledge

through reading and continuing education.

One of the College purposes is to help students to find themselves.

Erickson (1968), Heath (1968), Chickering (1969), Loveinger (1976), and others

emphasize the various aspects of psychosocial development among college

students. According to the research evidence, college graduates generally have

a stronger sense of self and higher self-esteem, a clearer resolution of identity in


11

political, religious, sexual, and occupational areas. Ego development (the central

organizing framework that provides meaning for yourself and your world) is

enhanced; academic and social self-concepts (how you evaluate your

competencies and skills relative to those of your peers) are stronger, and

leadership abilities are improved. ―College graduates recognize the intrinsic value

of a liberal arts education and exposure to new ideas and de-emphasize the

more instrumental and extrinsic view of education as the career and vocational

preparation (Hartel, W. C., Schwartz, S. W., Blume, S. D., & Gardner, J.

N.,1994).‖ Because of the college graduates experiences, they become more

sociable, humanitarian and apply altruistic values, political tolerance, and

liberalism (Hartel, W. C., Schwartz, S. W., Blume, S. D., & Gardner, J. N., 1994).

Interpersonal communication is concerned with activities that

involve interactions between ourselves and others. As Jean Paul Sartre

observed: (as cited by Hartel, 1994, p. 190) ―In order to get any truth about

myself, I must have contact with another person. The other is indispensable to

my own existence, as well as to my knowledge about myself.‖ Interpersonal

communication activity involves six elements—sender, message, channel,

receiver, feedback, and noise—that interact simultaneously. The individual’s

success, happiness, and satisfaction depend in large measure on perfecting

oneself skills at interpersonal communication. In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs, the highest category is termed self-actualization—that is, becoming the

best person you can be. Without interpersonal communication skills, an individual

may never achieve self-actualization.


12

Evaluating first the abilities and interests before choosing the

course that a student will take can lessen the probability of shifting from one

course to another or of stopping in the middle of the school year. Abilities and

interests have an effect to the performance and assimilation of information of an

individual. Selecting a job after college that is diametrically opposed to one’s

fundamental skills can lead to frustration. No job is fun all of the time, but a good

balance helps you avoid the trap of getting a job that requires you to do things

you hate 90% of the time and things you love 10% of the time (Dehner, 1994).

According to William C. Hartel (1994), "liberal arts education is not

chooling on how to act like a political liberal." The liberal arts education is

different from the normal learning process and engages the students in cross-

disciplinary scholarship. The liberal arts education acquire knowledge far beyond

the field of the traditional teaching. It has the higher educational process that

allows one to understand the importance of knowledge in life. Spelman College

President, Johnnetta Cole once said that the liberal arts education "doesn't just

educate you for the first job, it educates you for all jobs. Not just for the first few

days after graduation, but ... for living for the rest of your life. In other words,

education is not a preparation of life but is life itself.

Altbach (1989) stated that Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and

Taiwan are among the richest and most progressive of the Third World

Countries. They have established impressive economy through strengthening the

partnership of their higher educations and academic institutions. With their

growingly well-educated labor forces and export-oriented industries, these


13

nations are significant competitors in the world of industrializing countries. The

National University of Singapore is well funded by the government and is now a

world-class institution. It uses English as the medium of their teaching and

training so it has closer international ties compared to others in its region.

Malaysian universities have more complicated higher education system.

Although traditionally British, higher education is being organized in a more

American direction. In Universiti Utara Malaysia, even if the medium of instruction

was changed from English to Bahasa Malaysia, research productivity and

publications are a success. Most institutions in Korea are private. It also has the

biggest academic system of the four countries considered here. Korea Advanced

Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) offers the best quality training in the

country. It is similar to United States' academic system in its "diversity,

organizational pattern, and variations in quality and orientation." Like in Korea,

Taiwanese students are enrolled in private institutions but public sectors are

considered prestigious part of higher education. Public universities are well

prepared for research and in fields considered as national priorities. Taiwanese

scholars look up to America for academic models and training. Universities keep

their academic ethos that is needed for quality training. It is necessary so that the

universities and the state can have an informal agreement about goals of

improvement and the proper role of higher educational institutions in

development. In all four countries, universities function best by a big deal of

autonomy for academic staff. But it is the government which is accountable for

the expenditures and to make sure that adequate resources and essential
14

training are provided. Asia is the largest exporter of foreign students especially to

the United States and Britain. Being among its top ten countries, Malaysia,

Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan contributes significantly. Foreign training

opens opportunities to well-paid and prestigious occupations. Foreign degree

holders get the necessary expertise and those who go back home obtain

positions in academy or industry. Thus, it is an integral element of an economy

for these industrializing nations, as well to other Third World countries.

Employers expect an employee to perform certain duties. These

assigned duties are contained in the job description. The job description states

what the employee is expected to do, that must meet if an employee is going to

be successful such as; Good attendance ,Punctuality - getting to work on time,

ability to get along with coworkers, ability to follow company rules and willingness

to give a full day’s work for a full day's pay. Job success depends on employees'

work habits and attitude. Attitude is based on your values; values affect the very

way to meet employers' expectations (1989).

In the business world, employers are most likely to hire an

employee who possesses qualities such as leadership skills, computer literacy,

enthusiasm and initiative, confidence and motivation, in association with good

academic credentials. An employee can be an asset to any company if he

possesses good communication and interpersonal skills in addition to excellent

written and spoken English skills (Omar, 2005 & Wijewardene, 2014).

Yorke and Knight (2003) defined employability as ―A set of

achievements—skills, understandings and personal attributes that make


15

graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen

occupations which benefit themselves, the workforce, the community and the

economy.‖

Bridgstock (2009) stated that graduates must possess 'generic'

employability skills, disposition and attributes which conform to different job areas

and situations. However, it is evident that most universities/colleges do not

realize the importance of one generic skill which is the management skills. It is

the ability to proactively and successfully navigate the professional world by

adaptation and interaction. In the broader sense, management includes "creating

realistic and personally meaningful career goals, obtaining and maintaining work,

identifying and engaging in strategic work decisions and learning opportunities,

recognizing work/life balance, and appreciating the greater relationships between

work, economy, and society." Therefore, pivotal for the higher educational

institutions to do their best in promoting management skills to its students so they

would not be intimidated by the constantly changing world of work. It was

reported that students who had proper self-management teaching and training

developed their concept of career goals much better and had become more

positive and realistic in appreciating their own abilities and aptitudes, resulting in

higher levels of employability than other students. However, Dierdorff (2002)

stated that knowledge is the most important factor in the workplace because

"one’s role and responsibilities can greatly impact work motivation, satisfaction

and performance of individual workers, as well."


16

According to the Dearing Report, the most important objective of

higher education is to prepare the students for the corporate world, where they

can use and refine their skills that they have assimilated in the university (Niche,

1997 & Wijewardene, 2014). Skills such as communication skills, problem-

solving skills, decision-making, leadership skills, and analytical skills are required

for the effective working of managers (Everwijin et al., 1993 & Wijewardene,

2014). The two important attributes that employers anticipate from fresh graduate

applicants are communication and teamwork skills (Coldstream, 1991 &

Wijenwardene, 2014). As a result of a conducted study, 90% of the business

institution enunciated the fact that an essential skill that a graduate should

possess is the communication skill (Gunawardena, 1997 & Wijenwardene, 2014).

Ramli, Surbaini, Kadir & Abidin (2013) stated that employers have

high expectations on internship programs because they believe that the most

valuable attributes — generic or job-related skills, cannot be acquired through

classroom learning. Internship plays an imperative role in helping the students to

better equip themselves with improvement of what most employers are looking

for: leadership and teamwork capabilities, communication skills, high level of

confidence, advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills, interpersonal

and intrapersonal skills, and personal maturity, to be adequately ready to face

the challenges and adapt the demands of professional world. Thus, it is essential

for universities/colleges to incorporate with companies or professional

government bodies to organize pivotal activities i.e. events or trainings for

students as future interns to elate their chances of getting prospective jobs and
17

enhance self-development. Revision of curricula among these educational

institutions is also needed to meet the current demands and changes of

employment. It will establish a strong and relevant foundation producing

graduates with required characteristics/qualities.

Canale and Swain (1998) introduced parallel concepts. They

defined it differently but with the same context, specifically:

1. Grammatical competence which concerns with the mastery of the

language code itself;

2. Discourse competence which concerns the expertise on how to

combine grammatical structures and meanings to achieve both

spoken and written test in different categories;

3. Sociolinguistic competence which addresses the extent to which

the discourse is provided and accepted appropriately in different

sociolinguistic discussions depending on lexical factors;

4. Strategic competence which is composed of verbal and non-verbal

communication strategies. It has two objectives: (1) to make

restitution for breakdowns in communication due to competence in

one or more of the other areas; and (2) to strengthen the

effectiveness of communication.

Hymes, John, & Cazden, (as cited in Brown, 1972) added that

communicative competence specify the psychological, social and cultural rules,

and is responsible with the use of speech in the social settings. It incorporates

the semantic structures as well as the social rules. Such notion suggests that
18

communicative competence does not only wrap linguistic competence but also

sociolinguistic competence as supported by Canale and Swain (1998).

Bachman & Palmer (2010) modified Canale and Swain’s (1980)

model of communicative competence. He coined the term ―language

competence‖ to substitute communicative competence. It has two components:

(1) organizational competence, and (2) pragmatic competence.

Quinn (2011) said that Literacy and numeracy are among the most

important life skills. These skills are crucial to a person's capacity to unfold fully

as an individual to live a satisfying life and to participate fully in the society.

Literacy includes the ability to read, understand and critically appreciate various

forms of communication including spoken language, printed texts, broadcast

media, and digital media. While the numeracy encompasses the ability to use

mathematical understanding and abilities to solve problems and meet the

demand of day-to-day living in complex social settings, with the skills of literacy

and numeracy, an individual is able to connect with full participation and

contribution in many aspects of life including participating fully in school or in

higher education and do have highest opportunities to take up satisfying jobs and

careers. Mastering the skills can contribute in a growing range of economic,

technical, scientifically, social and other contexts is essential if we are to ensure

employment and economic prosperity.

According to Rajendranagar (n.d.), work ethics is basically the

belief that work is a good moral. It also refers to a set of values that are defined

by diligence and hard work. Work ethic can as well be defined as the inherent
19

capabilities of work to strengthen character. Workers exhibiting a good work

ethic, in theory, should be selected for higher positions, more responsibility, and

ultimately promotion. There are four good work ethics namely; honesty, values

diversity, respect others, and cooperative. In order to come up with the sturdy

work ethics, the employee must stay positive because attitude is everything,

refuse to procrastinate, keep the focus, set a goal of dependability, always meet

deadlines, set up to fill unmet needs. Successful careers come in many flavors,

but work ethics are the main ingredient in most recipes for success. Work ethics

has the great impact in reflecting employers' images. Employers love to see the

results of a positive work ethics. Naturally, an employer is looking to hire

somebody who is willing to tackle any task and complete it to the best of his skills

in the most expeditious way. In other words, the employer is looking for an

employee who has a sturdy work ethic and is proud to show everybody that he

relishes the thought of working hard.

Critical thinking ability is significantly related to job performance. It

plays a vital role because employers require a careful analytical thinking to

perform essential job functions. Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain

ways so as to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that the

thinker is aware of. In more everyday language and daily work, it is a way of

thinking about whatever is presently occupying your thought so that you come to

the best possible conclusion. Beyond being able to interpret, analyze, evaluate

and infer, strong critical thinkers can do two more things. They can explain what

they think and how they arrived at that judgment or certain action. And, they can
20

relate their powers of critical thinking to themselves and improve on their

previous opinions and performances. Critical thinking is tremendously important

in the workplace in order to be an effective leader, one must be a critical thinker,

because analytical thinker can be a better problem solver and a better decision

maker. Hence, critical thinking skills are part of achieving one's goal whether for

an applicant in getting a job, employees' performance or for employers'

development and success (Ejiogu C, Yang, Trent, & Rose, 2006).

According to Saud, Shu'aibu, Buntat, & Jabor (2012), the transition

to the age of rapidly changing technology brought challenges to the world of

work. As Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) gained popularity,

its application to almost every aspect of the economy also increased, therefore,

putting ICT skills on higher demands than other employability skills. It

emphasizes the necessity of higher educational institutions to make some

adjustments and refocus their curriculum offering on what is globally coined as a

"requirement for employability" or the ICT capability. Integrating technology to

academic courses has become imperative, especially in training. It helps the

students possess these new set of skills, making them more versatile to the

needs of current ever changing world of the profession. As cited in their review,

UNESCO stated that "gaining employment increasingly depends on the person's

ability to effectively and efficiently uses ICTs." Hence, graduates who are

adequately trained with ICT skills are more favoured and qualified to better jobs.

According to Amelia Jenkins (2016) having a strong work ethic may

lead to someone's career improvement. There are five strong work ethic factors
21

that every employee, from the CEO to entry-level workers, must have namely

integrity, sense of responsibility, emphasis on quality, discipline, and sense of

team work. If an employee has integrity, he will have a harmonious relationship

with clients, co-workers, and supervisors. The employee's with high moral

standards are mostly the one who the supervisor rely on. A strong sense of

responsibility affects how an employee works and how he handles works under

pressure. Being responsible can be seen on his job performance, he is right on

time; he exerts his best and completes the task. Employees with a strong work

ethic care about the quality of their work. They are focused on doing their best to

produce a high quality of workmanship. Commitment with quality of work of every

employee may lead to the improvement of the company’s status and gain good

feedbacks from the clients. An employee with good discipline stays focused on

his goals and determined to complete his duties. These kinds of employees show

a high level of dedication to the company and surely they are part of the

company's success. An employee with a high sense of teamwork helps a team

meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their peers and

help where they can, making collaborations go smoother.

Local Study

Tansinsin (2006) in her study, ―Development of University-Industry

Partnerships for the Promotion of Innovation and Transfer of Technology:

Philippines‖ stated that there are different nature or types of university-industry

partnerships. These may be classified as follows:

1. Contractual Research and Development;


22

2. Support of an industry’s research and development activities;

3. Licensing and Transfer of Technology;

4. R & D Joint Ventures and Support for Spin-Off Companies;

5. Consultancy by University Faculty;

6. Funding Post-Graduate or Graduate Students; and

7. On-The-Job Training of Students in Industry

Specifically, Contractual Research and Development, may be

ventured between the industry and the university with consideration to financial

assets. It might be in scheme of cooperative or joint research with the funds

coming from foreign or local partners. The support of an industry’s research and

development activities is important in ensuring better quality product and

process. This nature of partnership would allow researchers to work on

researches focusing on the improvement of an industry’s productivity.

The Licensing and Transfer of Technology is about the art of

evaluation, negotiation and licensing wanted by the universities from its industry

partners.

Consultancy by University Faculty is permitted in the partnership

process provided that the task of teaching is not neglected. Consultancy is a way

of strengthening the capacity of the faculty members. The consultancy work

might be done outside of the university within the customary office time, given

that the method is endorsed by the learning institution. However, in other

institutions, agreement is on a case-to-case basis.


23

Research and Development (R & D) Joint Ventures and Support for

Spin-Off Companies is the nature of partnership when a private company has a

contract with the university agreeing on the share of technology and equipment

available on both sides. A university’s equipment may be used by the private

sector employees as part of the investment while the materials and equipment

that are not available in the university will be provided by the private sector

shouldering the operational costs in some cases. Spin-off of researches results

prepared for commercialization is supported by the UI partnership.

Funding Post-Graduate or Graduate Students does not mean

funding throughout the students’ study. The industry would financially support

them during short term courses, seminars and lectures.

On-The-Job Training is important for companies in having students

around, extending a helping hand to assist in their operation. Some universities

prefer this nature of partnership with the industry because it may help them to

improve the education system. In connection to this, there is a high possibility for

the students to be hired by the partner industry after graduation.

On University-Industry partnerships, education officials in the

Philippines have been trying to solve the problem of mismatched higher

education output and job market demands since the second half of the twentieth

century. The employability of graduates can be used to indicate of the quality of

education provided for by the institution. Companies have later on realized the

value of cooperating with academic institutions in providing practicum/internship

for senior college students. Industry-University partnerships have proven


24

beneficial to the three parties involved, where the students have a place to

enhance their employability and a place to apply their learned skills and

knowledge, companies can develop promising workers out of interns, and

schools produce a better public image, improves its response to the need of the

working industry, and better the chances of employment of their students

(Navarro, n.d.).

Benarte (2014) cited Industry-Academia Interface -Perspectives

and Practices in his work that stated our post-modern global economy needs a

productive relationship between educational institutions and the working industry

is a critical requirement. The failure to recognize the needs of each other may

lead to the disruption in the job market. Educational institutions and the working

industry has been existing separate of each other for a long time, but has shown

that they are quickly getting closer to each other, the growing complexity of the

industry has led to the two separate bodies to become closer in developing a

more mutually favorable paradigm (2014). The connections between industry

and higher education is that higher education shall not only provide confined

teaching, but also research and extension activities that require linkages or

partnerships, higher education institutions do not only provide skilled human

resources to the working industry but also in different other ways. Partnerships

are important for educational institutions to reduce its needs and spending on

resources that would enable its students to train their acquired skills through

secure training and later on possible employment for the students. The industry
25

also benefits from partnerships, helping in the search of employable workers,

managers, and other manpower needs of the industry.

Bago (2001) stated that curriculum is a crucial factor in the teaching

– learning process. Specifically, it means a written plan such as; a degree

program, a syllabus, a textbook, a learning package, a lesson. Apparently,

Curriculum planning is not an easy undertaking, there are some crucial questions

to ask in curriculum development that includes; What learning objectives should

be included? What will be the basis for the choice of objectives? Will the choice

be based on the learners' need and interest, or rather on the needs of society?

Will the selection depend on tradition, the nature of knowledge, or the learners'

characteristics? Given the many concerns, it is a complicated process that

requires certain competencies which can be acquired through proper training

hands- on experience.

Bago (2001) stated that the current curriculum development

practices in the Philippines follow the same patterns as those from other

countries. The curriculum developers have to determine the design carefully by:

1. Choosing the general aims of schooling as well as more specific

objectives of instruction;

2. Selecting the subject matters to be included as well as their scope

and coverage;

3. Determining the suitable learning experiences based on the

objectives and
26

4. Deciding on how to evaluate what students are learning. It is

necessary to plan carefully the manner by which the effectiveness,

efficiency and impact of the curriculum will be assessed.

Institutions must help to strengthen the knowledge and theoretical

knowledge of their students. Practical knowledge acquires the specific

techniques that become the tools of the students in their future jobs. Through the

act of doing and personal experience, it may lead to a deeper understanding, for

there is information that you can only know and learn through experiencing. In

theoretical knowledge, it prepares an individual to set a direction in future

education. It teaches an individual through the experience of others. Theory

helps you apply what you learned in solving one problem to different problems.

Practical and theoretical knowledge are both valuable. College education

programs are considered as academic training. It is of great importance for future

jobs placements of the graduates (Jimenez, 1992).One of the factors on which

the graduates’ performance in their jobs depend a lot is their educational

background. Having academic training is an asset. Gaining personal experience

on an on-the-job training in companies or firms will be the edge of the students

because they already know the system in their future field (1992).

San Jose (2014) conducted a study to determine the employability

of the AB English graduates from 2001 - 2013. The results of his study "Finding

the Linguist: An AB English Graduates Tracer Study" revealed that majority of the

respondents are employed as English instructors or teachers, Call Center

agents, editors, and journalists. The results indicated that AB English graduates
27

are not only competitive and employable but are also in demand in the different

industries which need their skills and competencies. The study also found out

that for the AB English graduates, communication skills and critical thinking skills

are the most helpful competencies in their job. In his study, San Jose

recommended to improve the AB English Curriculum and suggested the

consideration of having On-the-Job-Trainings for AB English students.

According to Meneses & Habalo (2009), the efficiency and

effectiveness of an institution's offered programs can be evaluated by the

performance of its graduates in the professional world, which indicates how well

they must have been taught and trained in their previous schools. Their study,

"Bicol University CAL Graduates’ Employment Profile" found that even the

university assesses the curricula of its four baccalaureate degrees offered by its

College of Arts and Letters, namely AB Audio Visual Communication, AB

English, AB Journalism, and AB Speech and Theatre Arts to check their

relevance to their respective work field, it is not enough to address the problem of

mismatch between employment needs and education. It had been discovered

that Bicol University's CAL graduates are emotionally and mentally ready to work,

thus, are also highly employable. Within one year after graduation, majority of the

respondents were employed, however, to jobs that are not related to their

specialization, showing mismatch between academic training and industry needs.

Although satisfied by the skills and competencies learned from their alma mater,

discrepancy was still observed since not all of these were useful and innovative

in enhancing their performance at workplace.


28

Antwi’s (2004) study, ―The Relationship of Work Attitude, Reward

Systems, and Personality to Job Performance and Motivation‖ discussed the

employers' views and its impact on the relationship of employees' performance

and higher job satisfaction. According to the study, a positive attitude often leads

to better performance and an increase in productivity. An increase in the quality

of performance usually leads to higher economic, sociologically and

psychological reward.

In Greenberg & Baron's study (as mentioned in Antwi, 2004), job

performance is the extent to which an individual can successfully accomplish a

task, determined by a worker's skill, the level of effort and other environmental

factors. Performance serves as a vehicle for judging the effectiveness of

employees and the organization. Employees' high performance acts as the

cornerstone of the overall productivity of the organization (2004).

Roble (2010) in his study, ―The Communicative Competence of the

Graduate Students of Capitol University: Basis for Communicative Competence

English Language Program‖ found that the respondents who are over-all fair in

their communicative competence have not come up to the standard and

expectation demanded of them in communicative competence along the four

criteria. He determined that though academic and professional experiences can

develop better communication skills, basic competencies have to be covered first

before anything else. As part of the results, respondents’ educational

qualification, emotional intelligence, and teaching experience were significant to

their level of communicative competence.


29

On communicative competence, Roble (cited in Williams, 1979)

categorized communicative competence into four criteria:

1. Knowledge of mechanical rules of languages, which answers the

question: Is the statement well formed?

2. Knowledge of the meaning system of the language, which answers

the questions: Has the speaker said what he wants to imply? Has

the listener comprehended what the speaker said?

3. Appropriacy in terms of setting and the relationship between the

people involved, which answers the question: Has the speaker

used appropriate words and conveyed them properly?

4. Oral Language Performance concerning the actual delivery of the

spoken language, which answers the question: Does the speaker

follow the standards of accuracy, clearness and mastery in using

the language?

Resurreccion (2010) in her study, ―The Level of Discourse

Competence of English Major Students in Cotabato Province‖ determined that

students’ competence varies in every component of proficiency on the spoken

and written discourse. The study found out that there is no significant relationship

between the competence level of the spoken and written discourse of the

students. Among the components that she tested, grammar is the students’

problem in both spoken and written discourse.

Resurreccion stated that organizational competence is divided into

two components: (1) grammatical competence, and (2) discourse competence


30

which provides thee rules and systems that dictate what can be done with the

structures of language. Grammar is concerned with the sentence-level rules.

Discourse is concerned with the rules that govern how to put the sentences

together. Pragmatic Competence is subdivided into illocutionary and

sociolinguistic competence.

Foreign Study

On University-Industry partnerships, collaboration between

educational institutions and the working industry is an important part of an

efficient national innovation system (Guimón, 2013). It is to be acknowledged that

to examine the experience of developed countries to better understand the

different types of university-industry collaborations is important (2013). The

reasons to form create partnerships and the barriers to cooperation, as well as

the role of public policy in helping partnerships should also be given importance

(2013).

Partnerships between educational institutions and the working

industry is critical for the development of skills through education and training,

the generation, acquisition, and adoption of knowledge though innovation and

technology transfer, and the promotion of entrepreneurship (Guimón, 2013). The

benefits of university-industry partnerships have an incredible range as it can

help coordinate research and development needs and avoid duplications that

would further hinder progress (2013).

For the majority of the working industry, the most important link to

an educational institution is through the employment of skilled graduates


31

(Guimón, 2013). Educational institutions play a key role in training and skill

acquisition, especially in lower income countries where the lack of skilled workers

is a major problem, negatively affecting the competitiveness and innovative

capacity of industries. Governments may impose public policies to improve the

qualities and skills acquired by graduates by providing partnerships to

educational institutions to industries that are willing to cooperate (2013).

The relationships between the partnership of educational

institutions, working industries, and its effect on national research laboratories

are subjects to historical and cultural background of every country (Nezu, 2005).

While there are a few exceptions, most Asian countries had previously been

isolated from global trade until recent history, were many different sectors started

slowly developing albeit under the command and control of a regime (2005).

There are many theories related to University – Industry

Partnership and Employment. Growth Pole, Triple Helix, Self-Efficacy, and Job –

Mismatch are just few of the theories related to UI partnerships and employment

of fresh graduates.

Bandura's study (as cited in Subramaniam & Freudenberg, 2007),

stated that self-efficacy refers to one's confidence in one's own coping skills,

which can be manifested in a broad range when in challenging situations. The

level of an individual's self-efficacy is essential to determine how well he/she

copes with learning and performing at the workplace (2007). It is also a

significant indicator of behaviors such as achievement strivings, academic

persistence and choice of career opportunities, and career competency


32

(Bandura, 1994). According to Subramaniam & Freudenberg (2007), developing

students' self-efficacy could lead to positive results. First, graduates confident

with their knowledge and skills are more likely to get hired. Second, having

higher self-efficacy level helps boost the new graduates' confidence and

performance. Since AB English students have a higher level of English

proficiency, students who have greater belief in their communication skills are

more likely to excel in technical training. Third, universities will eventually uplift

their reputation by developing students with high self-efficacy, thus, producing

high-quality graduates.

According to social cognitive theory, self-efficacy beliefs provide the

foundation for human motivation, well-being, and personal accomplishment;

unless people believe that their actions can produce the outcomes they desire,

they have little motivation to act or to persevere in the middle of difficulties.

These self-perceptions touch virtually every aspect of people's lives—whether

they think productively, self-debilitating, pessimistically or optimistically; how well

they motivate themselves and persevere in the midst of adversities; their

resilience to stress and depression; and the life choices they make (Pajares,

2009).

Self-efficacy is well-known in the educational study. Scholars have

reported that, regardless of the previous achievement or ability, a self-efficacious

individual will work harder, persist longer, and persevere in a difficult situation. A

self-efficacious individual has greater optimism and lower anxiety and

accomplishes in more activities (Pajares, 2009).


33

François Perroux introduced the theory of economic Growth Poles

in 1949. Perroux explained the idea of growth: "It is a blunt and indisputable fact

that growth is not uniform in different places but growth has different degrees of

intensity in different point, or poles, and then it spreads via channels and its final

result for the state economy is different in different regions" (Perroux, 1950).

Hoover (1971) (as cited in Meyer & Hecht, 1996), defined growth

center as: ―places where there exists or can easily be created the necessary

condition for expanding employment opportunity and especially the public

infrastructure and the external economies that most activities require. Such

growth centers are then expected to attract commuters and migrants from

surrounding areas of labour surplus and at the same time stimulate secondary

growth of employment in some of these areas‖.

Growth Pole theory proposes that development does not appear

everywhere and all at once. It appears in points or development poles with

variables intensities. Its spread along diverse channel and it has varying terminal

effects to the whole of the economy (Ehinmowo & Eludoyin, 2010). With the

existence of a growth pole, the expansion of employment opportunities and

external communities are created.

Schools can be a nucleus for growth pole. Birladeanu (2009)

determined that ―the school is one of the main institutions for the existence and

the development of a community, being a link between students and the society.‖

Jabeen (2011) in his study, "An Appraisal of Mismatch between

Graduating Students’ Perception and Employers’ Expectations Regarding


34

Employability Skills" found that there is a mismatch between graduating

university students’ attributes and employers’ expectations regarding skills that

qualify them to be employed. The study found that there are differences between

what the employers expect and what the students have after graduation. He

concluded that positive attitude, punctuality, time management, and oral

communications are the most significant characteristics for the employers.

Rangaa & Etzkowitz (2013), in their study, ―Triple Helix Systems:

An Analytical Framework for Innovation Policy and Practice in the Knowledge

Society‖ introduces Triple Helix systems as an analytical concept

accommodating both institutional and individual innovation systems composed by

relationships and functions highlighting the strength of institutions’ relationships

between the industry and the government in the innovation process.

Ume-Amen (2014) covered in her research, "Employer’s

Expectations Versus Performance of Fresh Graduates: Business Schools," the

Attitudes, Knowledge and Skills, an employer expects from fresh graduates. The

author recommended that both the schools and employers should review their

teaching methodologies and development programs to enhance the skills and

competencies of their graduates and future employees.

A study by Kubler & Forbes (2005) determined that employability

skills important to employers are: cognitive skills, generic competencies, personal

capabilities, technical ability, organization awareness, and critical evaluation,

reflection and review abilities.


35

Synthesis of Related Literature and Studies

The researchers identified the variables needed to be understood

and further studied for the research. The collection of literature and studies that

gathered are all justified by the content being directly related to the variables that

are pertinent to the study being conducted. The synthesis will discuss the main

topics and sub-topics present in the collected local literature, foreign literature,

local studies, and foreign studies.

The local literature and studies discuss topics covering employment

concerns in the country, opportunities presented for graduates and some

exploration of specific industries, the evaluation of skills of workers and the

relation of their motivation to their performance in the working industry, the role of

the institution in producing quality graduates, and the effects of partnerships with

industries.

In general, local literature and studies fall into seven broad

categories:

1. Employment in the Philippines

2. BPO and Other Job Opportunities

3. University-Industry Partnership

4. Roles and Objectives of the Higher Educational Institution

5. Employability of AB English Gradates

6. Motivation and Performance

7. Skills and Competencies of Graduates


36

Current employment related problems were discussed with very

similar definitions, with minor variations in the understanding of the possible

cause of problems. Recommendations were given as well, though the

recommendations given different approaches, as one study focuses on the

industry and the other one focuses on the government. The identification of

problems and mismatch in recommendations all justify that there is a need to

further research that concerns employment.

The studies on job opportunities similarly stated that AB English

graduates have an advantage in the BPO sector. Cocoba (2014) also

acknowledged the fact that the Philippines is one of the best places for Business

Process Outsourcing (BPO). The Department of Trade and Industry backs this

up by stating that the country is emerging as the call center capital of the world. A

study identified other fields for AB English graduates such as: English Teacher,

Personal English Tutor, and English Language Trainer in ESL Tutoring Centers,

Marketing Communication Specialist, Public Relations Officer, Academician,

Editor, and Foreign Service Officer.

One study stated the different types of University-Industry

partnerships which explores on the different relations and their purposes.

Navarro (n.d.) states that University-Industry partnerships may be a solution to

the mismatch in the graduates produced and the industry demands. Another

study (Bernarte, 2014) backed up the fact that the economy needs a productive

relationship between educational institutions and the working industry and the

failure to recognize its importance may lead to problems in the job market. The
37

studies all similarly recognized the advantages of university-industry

partnerships, however, some of these studies would focus more on the effects of

these partnerships on the industry than on the university.

The studies were all similar in defining the role of higher education

institutions in producing quality graduates. One study focuses on the curriculum

produced and the proper basis for making one and the other focuses on the

application of the materials learned by the graduates from the institutions, a

factor of the workers’ performance.

A study revealed that AB English graduates are in demand in

various industries; it also recommended a change in the curriculum which

included the addition of On-the-Job-Trainings. Another study revealed that

although there are a number of industries hiring AB graduates there is often a

mismatch in the relevance of their course with their current occupations.

Studies regarding motivation and performance in the industry

similarly showed that positive relations with employees often result in better

performance. Positive attitude leads to better performance and productivity.

Moreover some studies show forms of how employees are rewarded either

financially or through fringe benefits, stating that the rewards can be a source of

motivation. However, negative motivation as some studies showed could work

otherwise.

Several local studies have identified common skills and attributes

that AB English graduates must possess, namely communicative competence,

grammatical competence, and discourse competence.


38

Furthermore, some foreign literature and studies evaluated the

skills and abilities of fresh graduates programs that were acquired and developed

in college, while others looked at the skills and attributes required and expected

by employers from their future employees. Several studies analyzed the level of

importance of each attributes expected by employers, while others focus closely

on the significance of internships.

In general, foreign literature and studies fall into six broad

categories:

1. Role and Objectives of the Higher Educational Institution

2. University Industry Partnership

3. Theories on Partnerships and Employment

4. Liberal Arts Education

5. Skills and Competencies of graduates

6. Employers' Expectations

The studies were fairly uniform in how they defined the roles and

objectives of Higher Educational Institutions. Several literatures mentioned that

the primary purpose of university or college is to prepare students for corporate

world. The institution is a place where students obtain the knowledge and skills

necessary to excel and be efficient in their future workplace. Erickson (1968),

Heath (1968), Chickering (1969), Loveinger, (1976) explained that one of the

college purposes is to help students to find themselves, develop higher self-

esteem, and acquire clearer resolutions on political, religious, sexual and

occupational identities.
39

Studies on University-Industry Partnerships explained that the

existence of partnerships is essential not only for quality training but also for the

opportunities to well-paid and prestigious occupations. Theories on partnerships

and employment presented in this review are Self-Efficacy Theory by Albert

Bandura, Job-Mismatch Theory discussed by Jabeen, Triple Helix Systems

Theory discussed by Marina Rangaa & Henry Etzkowitz, and Growth Pole

Theory by François Perroux.

A publication (Hartel, W. C., Schwartz, S. W., Blume, S. D., &

Gardner, J. N.,1994) mentioned that College graduates recognize the intrinsic

value of a liberal arts education and exposure to new ideas and de-emphasize

the more instrumental and extrinsic view of education as the career and

vocational preparation. Hartel (1994) quoted Coles’ (n.d.) statement about Liberal

Arts Education, ―… it doesn't just educate you for the first job, it educates you for

all jobs. Not just for the first few days after graduation, but...for living for the rest

of your life.‖

Employability is "a set of achievements—skills, understandings and

personal attributes that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be

successful in their chosen occupations which benefit themselves, the workforce,

the community and the economy" as defined by Yorke and Knight (2003).

Among the literatures and studies reviewed , the skills, characteristics and

attributes required by employers include: Leadership and teamwork capabilities,

Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, Interpersonal Skills, Problem-solving

skills, Computer Literacy, Good academic credentials, Personal Maturity, Good


40

attendance, Punctual, Honest, Cooperative, Confident and Enthusiastic, Other-

person oriented, Respect for others, and Political Tolerance.

The researchers focused on Growth Pole Theory because it would

be used in the study. Self-efficacy and the Triple Helix Theory were also

considered earlier on; however, it was decided that the focus should mainly be

on the Growth Pole Theory. Among the competencies presented, the

researchers focused on leadership skills, communicative competence, literacy

and numeracy skills, critical thinking, management, information technology skills,

and work ethics, all of which are directly part of the data to be measured in the

study.

Theoretical Framework

This study was rooted from Francois Perroux’s Growth Pole

Theory. François Perroux introduced the theory of economic Growth Poles in

1949. He explained the idea of growth: "It is a blunt and indisputable fact that

growth is not uniform in different places but growth has different degrees of

intensity in different point, or poles, and then it spreads via channels and its final

result for the state economy is different in different regions" (Vystoupil, 2003).

This theory proposes that development does not appear

everywhere and all at once. It appears in points or development poles with

variables intensities. It spread along diverse channel and it has varying terminal

effects to the whole of the economy (Ehinmowo & Eludoyin, 2010). With the

existence of a growth pole, the expansion of employment opportunities and

external communities are created.


41

Schools can be a nucleus for growth pole. Birladeanu (2009)

determined that ―the school is one of the main institutions for the existence and

the development of a community, being a link between students and the society.‖

This theory of Perroux will be used in the current study, given the

importance of links between the university and the industries in the local

community, with the university as the starting point of development. Universities

serve as instruments in promoting a higher level of income, employment and

general success in the local community in which they are functioning.

Universities produce the graduates with the skills employers’ value. The

engagement of schools in industry partnerships is essential in maximizing their

contributions in preparing students for the highest possible achievement.

Partnerships provides bridges for both the schools and the industries in arranging

projects, tasks, trainings and researches to fill the gaps tightening community

objectives.
42

Conceptual Framework

Target Employers

Job Requirements
- Attributes
AB English - Characteristics
Graduates
Competencies and
Skills
- Leadership
- Communicative
- Literacy and
Numeracy
- Critical Thinking Recommendations
- Management
- Information
Technology

Job Opportunities

Assessment Tools
and Methodologies

Figure 1. Private Employers’ Expectations and Job Requirements for AB English


Graduates of Jose Rizal University: Implication to University – Industry

The research paradigm presented in Figure 1 was made to present

the relationships between the variables used in the research. The frames show

the relationship of variables and the pattern that the research followed.

The first frame presents the respondents of the study: employers

from BPO companies, Publishing Companies, ESL Tutoring Centers, and

schools. The second frame presents the AB English Graduates. The third frame
43

presents the common job requirements, specifically, the attributes and

characteristics of the graduates. The fourth frame presents the expected

competencies and skills: leadership, communicative, literacy and numeracy,

critical thinking, management, information technology and work ethics. The fifth

frame presents the different job opportunities offered by target employers for AB

English Graduates. The sixth frame presents the different assessment tools and

methodologies used by the target employers in the selection process. The

seventh frame presents the recommendations that will be given after having the

results of the study.

The relationships between the variables are represented by arrows

in determining the common job requirements of the target employers to AB

English students and showing the skills and competencies expected by the target

employers from AB English students. Private employers will be ranking these

competencies according to importance. Surveys will be utilized to gather the

data.

Recommendations pointing back to the box enclosing frames 3

through 6 show the possible basis for improvements on the required

competencies and skills to be to be made by AB English graduates.

Research Hypothesis

The hypothesis raised in this study was tested at 0.05 level of

significance.
44

HO: There is no significant difference among the expectations of

employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry by

Knowledge, Skill and Attitude.

H1: There is a significant difference among the expectations of

employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry by

Knowledge, Skill and Attitude.

Definition of Key Variables

The following are the operational definitions of the variables used in

the study:

Employability Skills. This is a set of achievements—skills,

understandings and personal attributes that make graduates more likely to gain

employment and be successful in their chosen occupations which benefit

themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.

Job Expectations. These are characteristics and attributes

expected by private employers from AB English graduates.

Job Requirements. These are the qualifications including skills

and competencies that a person must have in order to be suitable for a certain

job.

Private Employers. These are employers from companies that are

not owned or operated by the government.

University – Industry Partnership. This is the collaboration

between an educational institution and the working industry.


Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the procedure and the methods to be

used in this study. It also contains the respondents of the study, the

instruments used, the data gathering procedure, and the statistical

treatment of the data gathered.

Research Design

This study employed a descriptive research methodology

which utilized the survey method to gather the data needed for analysis

such as qualities, attitudes, and skills expected by private employers from

AB English graduates. A descriptive research was used because the main

concern of the study was to gather the data needed for analysis, as well

as classifying and tabulating the data to answer the questions that relate

to the importance of being able to meet the expectations of private

employers.

Population and Sample

Table 1. Frequency and Percentage of Respondents According to Type of


Company
Type of Company Frequency Percentage
BPO 14 31 %
ESL Center 5 11 %
Private School 14 31 %
Publishing 12 27 %
Total 45 100 %
46

The respondents in this study were private employers. The

respondents were chosen based on the data present in the tracer study of

Jose Rizal University, in which the places of occupation for fresh AB

English graduates were indicated. The respondents came from BPO’s,

ESL Tutoring Centers, Publication Companies, and (private) schools

located in Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, Antipolo City and City of Manila.

Table 1 presents the frequency and percentage of

respondents according to type of company. Majority of the respondents

were from BPO and Private School.

As the tracer study shows that a great number of private

companies are situated in Mandaluyong City, convenience sampling with

a major focus on the area proved to be a practical methodology for this

study.

Instruments

This study utilized a survey questionnaire for its data

gathering procedure. A survey questionnaire was used to assess the

private employer’s job expectation and requirements. The survey

questionnaire was produced by the researchers and approved by the

adviser, using the following related researches as bases.

a) Entry Employability Skills Of The Graduates Of Pamantasan

Ng Lungsod Ng Valenzuela In The Camanava Area: Basis

For Development Plan by Dr. Yolanda G. Gadon


47

b) Employer’s Expectations Versus Performance of Fresh

Graduates: Business Schools by Nawaz Ume-Amen

The authors were contacted and the right to use their

research as the basis and justification for our survey questionnaire was

requested.

A five-point Likert Scale was utilized to interpret the results

of the survey questionnaires. The Likert Scale is a psychometric scale that

is commonly used in researches that involves surveys and questionnaires.

McLeado (2008) referenced (Bowling, 1997; Burns, & Grove, 1997) in

saying Likert-type scales have fixed choices and are designed to measure

attitudes or opinions of respondents.

The respondents were provided with a survey questionnaire

that presented questions regarding the private employer’s job

expectations and requirements for AB English graduates, following the

variables mentioned in the statement of the problems.

The scale was based on Productivity, Work values, and

Teaching Effectiveness of Science Teachers in Capiz State University

(Vipinosa, 2015) and A Research on the Mathematical Problem Solving

Beliefs of Mathematics, Science and Elementary Pre-Service Teachers in

Turkey in terms of Different Variables (Memnun, Hart, & Akkaya, 2012).

The average reference interval of the scale was calculated as to be [(5-

1)/5] = 0.80, the range, or the difference between the greatest value and
48

the smallest value is divided by the total number of groups. The scale is as

follows:

Table 2. The 5-Point Likert Scale.


Scale Verbal Interpretation
4.21 – 5.00 Very Important
3.41 – 4.20 Important
2.61 – 3.40 Moderately Important
1.81 – 2.60 Fairly Important
1.00 – 1.80 Not Important

Procedure

The researchers prepared request letters that contained the

intent of the researchers in visiting the various companies of the different

industries with the request for a visitation date to the companies that will

receive the letter. First, the letter had to be approved by the thesis adviser,

the thesis professor, and the University before sending it out to the

participating companies. For confirmation and formality, when approvals

from the companies were received, the researchers made formal calls

informing the companies about the date and time of arrival when the

researchers will conduct the survey. Follow-ups were conducted to ensure

prompt responses from the participants. Once the surveys that have been

sent out were collected, the researchers began with the analysis of the

data. There were 76 target respondents, but only 45 responded and

participated, resulting in a 59.21% response rate. 31 of the target

companies either declined to participate or did not respond to the initial

proposals made by the researchers. All 45 respondents completed the

survey resulting in a 100% completion rate. 1 respondent per industry was


49

also chosen to answer additional questions after the quantitative data was

analysed. They were given open ended questions that all aim to justify the

quantitative data gathered.

Statistics

The data collected in this study was grouped and organized

based on the research design and statement of the problem. The result of

the survey questionnaire was tabulated, classified, and analyzed using

specific data treatment techniques following the objectives of the study in

determining the job expectations and requirements of private employers

for AB English graduates.

Weighted Mean

The weighted mean is the sum of the values divided by the

total number of items calculated. An average which each variable to be

averaged is assigned a weight, the weights assigned determines the

relative importance of each variable.

Formula:


̅

Where:

̅ = Computed value of weighted mean

Σ = Summation symbol

Xi = Weight of each item

Fi = Frequency of each weight (X)


50

Frequency Distribution

In frequency distribution, variables were grouped into

mutually exclusive categories to show the number of occurrences per

category. A frequency table was utilized to depict the responses in the

survey questionnaire.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Analysis of Variance is a statistical procedure used to test

the degree to which two or more groups vary or differ in an experiment. It

was specifically used to measure if there is a significant difference among

the expectations of employers by Knowledge, Skill and Attitude. The

researchers utilized the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS

v. 23) to compute for the ANOVA.


Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter contains the presentation, analysis, and interpretation

of the data gathered from the employers of various industries for the study.

The analysis and interpretation of data was done by following the 5-

point Likert Scale presented in Table 2 in Chapter 3, finding the weighted mean,

and average mean for the data gathered.

Problem 1: What are the most important job expectations of

various industries for AB English graduates by attitude, skill, and knowledge?

Table 3. Mean Distribution of Employer Expectation regarding Fresh AB English


Graduates
Employer Average Verbal
Mean
Expectation Mean Interpretation
BPO ESL PC PS

Knowledge 4.36 4.6 4.5 4.72 4.55 Very important

Skills 4.5 4 4.5 4.64 4.41 Very important

Attitudes 4.79 4.8 4.58 5 4.79 Very important

Data gathered from the 45 respondents of various companies

showed that, attitude, skill, and knowledge are all Very Important qualities, both

generally and with descriptors. Table 3 shows the mean per industry and the

average weighted mean for the attitude, knowledge, and skill. The average mean

shows that though all of Employer Expectations are ranked as Very Important,

attitude ranks the highest with 4.79 average mean, followed by knowledge with

4.55, then followed by skill with 4.41 respectively. There is some difference in the
52

ranking of importance of qualities per industry; however, attitude remains the

highest score in all four major industries.

This result agrees with the findings of Altbach (1989), stating that

“job success depends on employees' work habits and attitude. Attitude is based

on your values; values affect the very way to meet employers' expectations.”

The interviews demonstrated that all participants considered

Attitude as the most important quality expected by employers from fresh

graduates. A respondent from ESL company considered Attitude as the most

important specially in dealing with employers and colleagues. In addition, a

respondent from a Private School believed that soft skills often times are harder

to teach than technical skills. These are the responses given by the other two

participants regarding Attitude:

BPO: “The right attitude towards work results in higher level of

performance and productivity. Skills and knowledge required to

perform the job can be learned if and when an employee has the

right attitude.”

Publishing Company: “In a workplace employee with a positive

attitude towards work stays for a longer period of time. Competition

is seen as a motivator that inspires employees to perform at their

best to improve productivity.”

Table 4 shows the average mean of descriptors of KSA. The

descriptors that ranked as Very Important are the following: Aptitude and

willingness to learn, Commitment and Dedication, Creativity, Self-discipline, Self-


53

motivated, Work Ethics, Communicative Competence, Critical Thinking, Literacy

and Numeracy, Management, Consumer behaviour, and Organization and

processes within it.

Table 4. Mean Distribution of Employer Expectation of newly hired


graduates by Attitude, Skill and Knowledge
Average Verbal
Mean
Mean Interpretation
BPO ESL PC PS
Attitude
Aptitude and
4.71 5 4.75 4.79 4.81 Very Important
willingness to learn
Commitment and
4.71 5 5 5 4.93 Very Important
Dedication
Creativity 3.79 4.4 4.67 4.71 4.39 Very Important
Self-discipline 4.71 4.8 4.42 4.79 4.68 Very Important
Self-motivated 4.57 4.6 4.42 4.64 4.56 Very Important
Work Ethics 4.5 4.8 4.92 4.79 4.75 Very Important
Skills
Communicative
4.5 4.8 4.58 4.86 4.69 Very Important
Competence
Critical Thinking 3.93 5 4.67 4.79 4.60 Very Important
Information
3.86 3.8 4.17 4.5 4.08 Important
Technology
Leadership 3.64 4 4.17 4.64 4.11 Important
Literacy and
4.36 4.8 4.25 4.93 4.59 Very Important
Numeracy
Management 3.71 4.2 4.25 4.86 4.26 Very Important
Knowledge
Consumer behavior 4.36 4.4 4.25 4.29 4.36 Very Important
Environment 4.21 3.8 4 4.5 4.16 Important
Organization and
4.21 4 4.18 4.43 4.21 Very Important
processes within it
Products/ services
including those of 4.14 4 4.25 4.29 4.17 Important
competitors

Commitment and Dedication as the most important quality

descriptor for employer expectations agrees with Jenkin’s (2016) study, stating
54

that “commitment with quality of work of every employee may lead to the

improvement of the company’s status and gain good feedbacks from the clients.”

However, this contradicts Dierdorff’s (2002) findings, stating that knowledge is

the most important factor in the workplace because "one’s role and

responsibilities can greatly impact work motivation, satisfaction and performance

of individual workers, as well." This also contradicts the findings in Niche’s (1997)

study. The results of his study showed that the most important objective of higher

education is to prepare the students for the corporate world, where they can use

and refine their skills that they have assimilated in the university.

The interviews demonstrated that all participants considered

Commitment and Dedication as the most important for the descriptors for

employer expectations.

BPO: “Although it is given that people come and go at work, it is

expected that employees must be committed and dedicated in their

job.”

Private School: “Commitment and dedication are variables that

have a direct effect on employee retention.”

ESL: “Without commitment and dedication, employees cannot do

their tasks effectively. “

Publishing Company: “Job commitment and dedication is a quality

that most employers appreciate and reward. Company recognize

the value of a good worker who is willing to evolve and improve.


55

Examples of these are: punctuality, being a team player, fully

completing all tasks on time, and simply not giving up easily.”

Problem 2: How are pertinent qualities and skills such as

leadership, communicative competence, literacy and numeracy, critical thinking,

management, information technology, and work ethics, ranked according to

importance by private employers?

Table 5. Mean Distribution and Ranking of Employers’ Expectation of


newly hired graduates by specific competencies
Average
Competency Mean Ranking
Mean
BPO ESL PC PS
Basic Literacy and
4.36 4.9 4.69 4.82 4.69 2
Numeracy
Critical Thinking Skills 3.99 4.8 4.63 4.69 4.53 4.5

Leadership Skills 4.29 4.52 4.75 4.81 4.59 3

Management Skills 4.17 4.4 4.86 4.67 4.53 4.5


Information Technology
3.9 4.13 4.67 4.19 4.22 6
Skills
Communicative
4.45 5 4.85 4.8 4.78 1
Competence

The data presented in Table 5 shows that among the

competencies, Communicative Competence ranks the highest with an average

mean of 4.78, Basic Literacy and Numeracy Skills with an average mean of 4.69,

Leadership Skills with an average mean of 4.59, Critical Thinking Skills and

Management Skills both got an average mean of 4.53, and lastly Information

Technology Skills with an average mean of, respectively. While there is evident

difference in ranking of the competencies per industry, it can be surmised that

Communicative Competence ranked highest for the BPO and ESL industries,
56

Management Skills ranked highest for the Publishing Company industry, and

Basic Literacy and Numeracy ranked the highest for the Private School industry.

The four industries had variation in ranking for their expectations.

For the BPO, Communicative Competence is ranked first; Basic Literacy and

Numeracy Skills, second; Leadership Skills, third; Management Skills, fourth;

Critical Thinking, fifth, and lastly IT Skills. For ESL, Communicative Competence

is ranked first; Basic Literacy and Numeracy Skills, second; Critical Thinking,

third; Leadership Skills, fourth, Management Skills, fifth; and lastly IT skills. For

Publishing Company, Management Skills is ranked first, Communicative

Competence, second; Leadership Skills, third; Basic Literary and Numeracy

Skills, fourth; Information Technology Skills, fifth; lastly Critical Thinking. For

Private School, first are Basic Literacy and Numeracy Skills; Leadership Skills,

second; Communicative Competence, third; Critical Thinking fourth ;

Management Skills, fifth, and Information Technology Skills, sixth.

The general ranking of the skills agrees with the results in Canale

and Swain’s (1980) study, stating that Communicative Competence is one of the

competencies important for AB English graduates. It also has the same results

with the study of Gunawardena (1997) and Wijenwardene (2014), 90% of the

business institution enunciated the fact that an essential skill that a graduate

should possess is the communication skill. However, it contradicts Quinn (2011)

who depicts literacy and numeracy as the most important skill needed in the

workplace. According to him, it is pivotal for it will enable the individual to


57

participate and contribute in "the growing range of economic, technical,

scientifically, social and other contexts to ensure employment."

During the interview, the participants were asked about their

opinion based on the results shown in Table 5. For ESL and the BPO industry,

Communicative Competence ranked the highest for the employer expectations

by specific competencies. When asked if they would agree with the results, the

interviewees answered:

BPO: “Yes. This is because employees are expected to

communicate effectively. Communicative competence is not just

basic but a primary requirement for one to succeed in any job.”

ESL: “Yes, because communication skill is one of the 21st century

skills.”

For Private School Industry, Basic Literacy and Numeracy ranked

the highest for the employers’ expectations by specific competencies as showed

in Table 5. The interviewee agreed that it is highly expected from newly hired

employees “because these are fundamental skills an employee should have

upon graduation.” (Private School)

For Publishing Industry, Management Skills ranked the highest and

Critical Thinking ranked the lowest in employers’ expectations of newly hired

graduates by specific competencies (Table 5). When asked if he would agree

with the results, the interviewee answered:

Publishing Company: “Yes, management skills is important most

especially for the upper level management, as managers are a


58

critical part of business success their management skills, the ability

to make business decisions will determine that company’s success

or failure. Critical thinking is work process being expected to rank

and file employees as they are required, gather information,

accessing the current tasks that will be assigned to them.”

Information Technology Skills got the lowest rating as shown in

Table 4 and Table 5. However, majority of the interviewees disagreed with the

result. Only one out of 4 interviewees agreed that Information Technology Skills

has less significance in hiring an employee because “the core competency for AB

is more on communication rather than IT services… for AB grads,

communication skills and critical thinking skills would be most important.” (Private

School)

Problem 3: What are the most common employment opportunities

in the private sector for AB English graduates based on the data from the Tracer

Study conducted by Guidance and Testing Office?

Table 6 shows data from the Tracer Study conducted by the

Guidance and Testing Office of Jose Rizal University. Job positions of fresh

graduates are presented as well as the frequency. This was used as the basis in

choosing respondents.

The data from Tracer Study conducted by the Guidance and

Testing Office of Jose Rizal University presented in Table 6 showed that a

majority of fresh AB English graduates tend to go to the 4 major industries that


59

were included in our study; namely, BPO, ESL, Publishing Company, and Private

School.

Table 6. Frequency of Job Positions of AB English graduates from


2010 – 2015 based on the data from the Tracer Study
conducted by Guidance and Testing Office
Job Position Frequency
Admin Asst. 2
Admin Staff 1
Asst. Teacher 1
Barista 1
Branch Operation Officer 1
Call Center Agent 27
Clerk 1
Concierge Specialist 1
Customer Account Advisor 1
Customer Service Associate 1
Data Analyst 1
Editorial Support Agent 1
Encoder 2
English Communication Specialist 1
English Instructor 2
Events Planner 1
Finance Sales Associate 1
Legal Document Analyst 2
Online Teacher 3
Real Estate Agent 1
Risk Operation Analyst 1
Sales Representative 3
SEO Specialist 1
Shift Manager 1
Staff 9
Support Professionals 1
Teacher 2
Technical Support 1
Telemarketer 1
Unknown (Working) 5
US Telesales Agent 1
Writer 1
Total: 78
60

Cocoba, Lagundary & Gagarea’s study (2014) agrees with this

result. According to them, Filipinos are known to be English proficient, trainable,

and good in communication. Indeed, major in English graduates have a broad

chance in BPO companies. Aside from this, English majors can apply as English

Teacher, English Language Trainer in ESL Tutoring Centers, and Editor ("AB

English in the Philippines", 2010).

An interview with the Director of Guidance and Testing Office

revealed that AB English graduates tend to go to BPO companies “because of

higher compensation compared to other industries.” Moreover, there are various

types of companies usually invited for the career fair in Jose Rizal University

such as: Business, IT, BPO, Manpower, and General Support Services.

However, BPO companies are more likely to hire AB English graduates.

Problem 4: What are the different assessment methodologies and

tools used by private employers during the selections process?

Table 7 delineates that Behavioral Interview ranks the highest in

frequency with a rate of 78% for the evaluation tools in general. It is followed by

Intelligence testing, then by Personality Test with 69%, respectively. For the BPO

Behavioral Interview presents the highest frequency of usage, in ESL Intelligence

testing, in Publishing Companies both Intelligence Testing and Behavioral

Interview have the same frequencies, Teaching Demonstration ranks the highest

in Private Schools.
61

Table 7.Frequency and Percentage of Evaluation tools used by


companies
Frequency and Percentage per Industry

Percentage
Total
Evaluation Tool BPO ESL PC PS
(out of 14 (out of 5 (out of 12 (out of 14
respondents) respondents) respondents) respondents)

Intelligence Testing 8 57% 5 100% 12 100% 7 50% 32 71%


Aptitude Testing 8 57% 2 40% 4 33% 2 14% 16 36%
Multimedia
Computerized 8 57% 0 0 8 67% 0 0 16 36%
Testing
Job Knowledge Test 5 36% 1 20% 7 58% 7 50% 20 44%
Personality Test 10 71% 2 40% 8 67% 11 79% 31 69%
Behavioral Interview 11 79% 4 80% 12 100% 8 57% 35 78%
Stress Interview 6 43% 2 40% 0 0 2 14% 10 24%
Integrity Test 3 21% 0 0 5 42% 2 14% 10 24%
Situational
7 50% 4 80% 2 17% 5 36% 18 40%
Judgment Test
Work Samples 3 21% 0 0 6 50% 0 0 9 20%
Teaching
0 0 0 0 4 33% 13 93% 17 38%
Demonstration

One participant stated that the significance of a specific evaluation

tool still depends on what he chooses as a more important factor in choosing his

employees (Private School). Yet, various statements by the participants in the

interview highlighted the significance of Behavioral Test and Intelligence Test

during the selections process.

BPO: "This is because Behavioral Test and Intelligence Test are

readily available, easy to use, and produces more accurate results

as the tests are standardized."

ESL: "Behavioral Test is more important because it is easy to

increase the intelligence of the person, but it is hard to change

his/her behavior."
62

Publishing Company: "Both are important and needed in

determining of qualified applicants that fits in the specific role."

Table 8. Frequency of Evaluation methodologies used by companies

Frequency and Percentage per Industry

Percentage
Total
Evaluation Method BPO ESL PC PS
(out of 14 (out of 5 (out of 12 (out of 14
respondents) respondents) respondents) respondents)

Screening and
9 64% 2 40% 10 71% 4 29% 25 56%
Phone Interview
Face-to-face 100
14 100% 5 100% 12 100% 14 100% 45
Interview %
Candidate Group
7 50% 1 20% 5 42% 3 21% 16 36%
Interview
Panel or Committee
9 64% 3 60% 8 67% 5 36% 25 56%
Interview
Teleconferencing/
Web Conferencing 3 21% 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6%
Interview
Assessment Centers 2 14% 2 40% 0 0 2 14% 6 13%
Others 0 0 1 20% 0 0 0 0 1 2%

Table 8 presents the frequency of usage of evaluation

methodologies used by the respondents coming from various industries. Face-to-

face Interview got 100% in percentage of usage and it ranks as the highest in

frequency in general, and it also ranks the highest in frequency for each industry.

One company out of 45 answered others which was specified as written test.

Table 7 and Table 8 present the frequency and percentage of

usage of evaluation tools and evaluation methodologies used by employers when

screening applicants from the four industries included in our study.

Problem 5: Is there a significant difference among the expectations

of employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry by

Knowledge, Skill and Attitude?


63

Table 9. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of Employers Expectations


from BPO, ESL, Private School and Publishing Industry by Knowledge, Skills,
and Attitudes
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Knowledge Between Groups .929 3 .310 1.236 .309
Within Groups 10.271 41 .251
Total 11.200 44
Skills Between Groups 1.530 3 .510 1.525 .222
Within Groups 13.714 41 .334
Total 15.244 44
Attitudes Between Groups 1.126 3 .375 2.534 .070
Within Groups 6.074 41 .148
Total 7.200 44

Table 9 shows that there is no significant difference among the

expectations of employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing

Industry by Knowledge, Skill and Attitude. This finding was based on the

obtained F ratios of: Knowledge - 1.236, Skills - 1.525, and Attitude - 2.534,

which were all lower than the tabular F value of 2.839 at alpha 0.05. Thus, the

hypothesis of no significant difference was accepted.

This means that all employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and

Publishing Industry do not differed significantly when it comes to their

expectations of Knowledge, Skill, and Attitude. Survey data can prove the

correctness of this finding. Apparently, the private employers gave their highest

assessment of expectation to Attitude (WM=4.79), Knowledge (WM=4.55), and

Skills (WM=4.41).
Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents a brief summary of the study conducted,

findings based on the gathered data, conclusions made, and recommendations.

Summary of Findings

Based on the analyzed data and interpreted results gathered the

following findings were summarized as answers to the following questions:

Problem 1: What are the most common job expectations of various

industries for AB English graduates?

1.1. Data gathered from the 45 respondents of various companies

showed that, attitude, skill, and knowledge are all Very Important qualities, both

generally and with descriptors. The results showed that Knowledge has a mean

score of 4.55; Skills, 4.41; Attitudes, 4.79 (Table 3) and are all interpreted as

Very Important based on the scale used in Table 2.

1.2. The results showed that all four industries agreed that attitude

is the most important quality by means of ranking, with the average mean of 4.79

(Table 3). Specifically, Attitude has a mean score of 4.79 for BPO industry, 4.8

for ESL industry, 4.58 Publishing industries, and 5 for Private School industry.

Problem 2: How are pertinent qualities, and skills such as

leadership, communicative competence, literacy and numeracy, critical thinking,

management, and information technology ranked according to importance by

private employers?
65

2.1. In general the respondents of the various industries ranked the

following competencies in this order: first, Communicative Competence with an

average mean of 4.78; second, Basic Literary and Numeracy with an average

mean of 4.69; third, Leadership Skills with an average mean of 4.59; there is a tie

for the fourth and fifth position, both Critical Thinking Skills and Management

Skills received an average mean of 4.53, and Information Technology Skills lastly

with an average mean of 4.22.

2.2. There is a difference in how each industry ranked the

competencies. For the BPO, Communicative Competence is ranked first; Basic

Literacy and Numeracy Skills, second; Leadership Skills, third; Management

Skills, fourth; Critical Thinking, fifth, and lastly IT Skills. For ESL, Communicative

Competence is ranked first; Basic Literacy and Numeracy Skills, second; Critical

Thinking, third; Leadership Skills, fourth, Management Skills, fifth; and lastly IT

skills. For Publishing Company, Management Skills is ranked first,

;Communicative Competence, second; Leadership Skills, third; Basic Literary

and Numeracy Skills, fourth; Information Technology Skills, fifth; lastly Critical

Thinking. For Private School, first are Basic Literacy and Numeracy Skills;

Leadership Skills, second; Communicative Competence, third; Critical Thinking

fourth ; Management Skills, fifth, and Information Technology Skills, sixth.

Problem 3: What are the most common employment opportunities

in the private sector for AB English graduates based on the data from the Tracer

Study conducted by Guidance and Testing Office?


66

3.1. The data from Tracer Study conducted by the Guidance and

Testing Office of Jose Rizal University presented in Table 6 showed that a

majority of fresh AB English graduates tend to go BPO with a frequency of 27 out

of 78, though others tend to go to the three other major industries that were

included in our study; namely, ESL, Publishing Company, and Private School.

Problem 4: What are the different assessment methodologies and

tools used by private employers during the selections process?

4.1. Table 7 showed the frequency of usage of the evaluation tools

by the respondents. Table 7 delineates that Behavioral Interview ranks the

highest in frequency with a rate of 78% for the evaluation tools in general. It is

followed by Intelligence testing, then by Personality Test with 69%, respectively.

This is followed by Job Knowledge Test with 44, then by Situational Judgment

Test with 40%, then by Teaching Demonstration with 38%, then both Multimedia

Computerized Testing and Aptitude Testing got 36%, followed by Integrity Test

with 24%, and Work Samples came in last with 20%. No respondent indicated

other forms of evaluation tools. The ranking for specific industries were

presented in Table 7.

4.2. Table 8 presents the frequency of usage of evaluation

methodologies used by the respondents coming from various industries. Face-to-

face Interview got 100% in percentage of usage and it ranks as the highest in

frequency in general, and it also ranks the highest in frequency for each industry.

It was followed by both Screening and Phone Interview and Panel or Committee

Interview, both receiving 56%, then Candidate Group Interview with 36%, then
67

Assessment Centers with 13%, then Teleconferencing/ Web Conferencing

Interview with 6%, and lastly with 2% a respondent answered Others and

indicated another option Written Test.

Problem 5. Is there a significant difference among the expectations

of employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry by

Knowledge, Skill and Attitude?

5.1. The ANOVA of employers expectations by Knowledge, Skills,

and Attitudes in Table 9 showed that all F-ratios of KSA (Knowledge - 1.236,

Skills - 1.525, and Attitude - 2.534) were all lower than the tabular F value of

2.839 at alpha 0.05.

Conclusions

The findings from this study led the researchers to draw the

following conclusions:

1. Majority of the respondents were from the BPO industry and

Private School industry.

2. Generally, Knowledge, Skills and Attitude are all ranked as

Very Important for the verbal interpretation of the data. The descriptors that

ranked as Very Important are the following: Aptitude and willingness to learn,

Commitment and Dedication, Creativity, Self-discipline, Self-motivated, Work

Ethics, Communicative Competence, Critical Thinking, Literacy and Numeracy,

Management, Consumer behaviour, and Organization and processes within it.

3. Generally, Communicative Competence ranked the highest

for the expectations for specific competencies.


68

4. The Publishing Industry gave the highest values in ranking

the skills, followed by the Private School Industry, then ESL and lastly, BPO.

Publishing Industry is the most demanding in terms of skills while BPO Industry

demands the least.

5. There are a variety of possible job opportunities for AB

English graduates; however, the data shows that the BPO industry hires the most

number of AB English graduates.

6. For evaluation tools, Behavioral Test ranks the highest in

percentage therefore, it is the most important tool used by the employers.

7. For evaluation methodologies, Face-to-Face Interview ranks

the highest in percentage therefore, it is the most important method used by the

employers.

8. The null hypothesis of no significance was accepted. All

employers from BPO, ESL, Private School, and Publishing Industry do not differ

significantly when it comes to their expectations of Knowledge, Skill, and Attitude.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and the conclusions drawn in this study, the

following topics for additional research are recommended:

1. Since Attitude ranked first in all four industries as the most

important job expectation by attitude, skills, and knowledge, and Behavioral

Interview ranks highest in frequency for evaluation tools used. In interviews, the

administration of the University should consider making targeted programs for


69

students that will focus on training behavior in the workplace, specifically, during

career fair seasons.

2. Since Communicative Competence is ranked first by four

industries as the most important competency needed by AB English graduates,

there should be reconsideration in using Speech Laboratories for application of

learned materials.

3. Since a majority of fresh AB English graduates tend to go to

the BPO industry, there should be consideration in strengthening the current Call

Center Fundamentals program that is being used. Specifically, students should

be guaranteed that they will be using the resources available in the University,

such as the various PEP rooms. Call Center Fundamentals should also be

updated to the current trends and needs of the industry.

4. Since a majority of fresh AB English graduates tend to go to

the BPO industry, the University should consider partnering up with various

companies that can provide On-The-Job Training to students.

5. Although the majority of fresh AB English graduates tend to

go to the BPO industry, it is also shown that a number of fresh graduates still go

to the Publishing Industry, ESL Industry, or Private School Industry, the

University should conduct a feasibility study about coming up with partnerships

with companies from the various industries that can provide immediate

employment to AB English graduates.

6. Since Face-to-face interview ranked the highest for

evaluation methodologies used by employers, the University should consider


70

prioritizing face-to-face interviews in mock interviews for graduating students,

with recognition of current trends and possible frequently asked interview

questions.

7. Create a clear guideline for OJT and adopt the proposed

process map for the On-the-Job Training of AB English students according to the

standards set by the university and the requirements set by the industries.
71

Proposed Process Map for the On-the-Job Training of AB English Students

Start
Be assigned in a
department in the
Career university that can train
Seminar AB English students

Written Pass No
Examination

Yes

HR Assessment Coaching and


Behavioral additional trainings
Interview

Yes
Communicative
Competence
Assessment No First
Pass No
time to
Interactive fail?
Discussion

Listening
Yes
Comprehension

Mock Technical
Reading Interview No
Comprehension
Pass
Face-to-Face
Interview
Yes

OJT
72

REFERENCES

AB in English in the Philippines. (2010). Retrieved June 2016, from


http://www.finduniversity.ph/majors/ab-in-english-philippines/
Abasolo, A. (1991). Elements of Management.
Altbach, P. G. (1989). Higher Education and Scientific Development: The Promise of
Newly Industrializing Countries. In P. G. Albach, C. H. Davis, T. O.
Eisemon, S. Gopinathan, H. S. Hsieh, S. Lee, et al., Scientific
Development and Higher Education: The Case of Newly Industrializing
Nations (pp. 3-36). Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, Inc.
Antwi, P. B. (2004). The Relationship of Work Attitude, Reward Systems, and
Personality to Job Performance and Motivation. Master's Thesis. Silang,
Cavite, Philippines: Adventist University of the Philippines.
Bachman, L., & Palmer, A. (2010). Language Testing in Practice: Designing and
Developing Useful Language Tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bago, A. L. (2001). Curriculum Development: The Philippines Experience. Manila,
Philippines: De la Salle University Press,Inc.
Bamber, J. (2012). Developing the Creative and Innovative Potential of Young People
Through Non-formal Learning in Ways that are Relevant to Employability.
European Commission, 2-49. Retrieved from
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/number4_teaching_and_l
earning_guide_employbility.pdf.
Bandura, A. (1994). Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Vol. 4).
Bernarte, R. P. (2014). Academe – Industry Partnership in the Philippine: Nature,
Benefits and Problems.
Birladeanu, G. (2009). Managerial Challenges of the Contemporary Society
Proceedings. 23. Cluj-Napoca: Babes Bolyai Univresity.
Bridgstock, R. (2009). The Graduate Attributes We've Overlooked: Enhancing Graduate
Employability Through Career Management Skills. Higher Education
Research and Development, 28(1), 31-44. doi:
10.1080/07294360802444347
Brown, D. H. (1972). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (3rd, 4th ed.). New
Jersey: Prentice Hall Incorporated.
Call Center Courses Gemini IT Consulting Corp. (2005). Mandaluyong City, Metro
Manila.
73

M M
L
- I ues de l'Ontario.
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1998). Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to
Second Language Teaching and Testing: Applied Linguistic. Toronto:
Oxford University Press.
Cocoba, R., Lagundary, J., & Gagarea, J. (2014). Let's Talk BPO: A Professional's
Guide to Working in Philippine Call Centers. Career First Institute
De Leon, M., Razon, J., & Murillo, M. (2009). Graveyard Shift: A Study on Selected
Communication Students' Perception of Call Center Jobs as Career
Option for Communication Graduates. Sta. Mesa, Manila: Polytechnic
University of the Philippines.
Dehner, M. (1994). How To Move from College into a Secure Job. Lincolnwood, Illinous,
USA: VGM Career Horizons a division of NTC Publishing Group.
Dierdoff, E. C. (2002). Job Knowledge Leads to Better Work Decisions. Personnel
Psychology. Retrieved January 8, 2017, from
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/10386/job-knowledge
Ehinmowo, A. A., & Eludoyin, O. M. (2010). The university as a nucleus for growth pole:
Example from Akungba - Akoko, Southwest, Nigeria. International Journal
of Sociology and Anthropology, 2(27), 149-154.
Ejiogu, K.C., Yang, Z., Trent, J., Rose, M. (2006). Understanding the Relationship
between Critical Thinking and Job Performance Pearson Education
Everwijn, S.E.M., Bomers, G.B.J., and Knubben, J.A. (1993). Ability or Competence-
based Education: Bring the Gap Between Acquisition and Ability to Apply,
Higher Education, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp.425-438
Guimón, J. (2013). Promoting University-Industry Collaboration in Developing
Countries.
Hartel, W. C., Schwartz, S. W., Blume, S. D., & Gardner, J. N. (1994). Ready for the
Real World. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Hoover, E. (1971). An Introduction to Regional Economics. New York: Alfred A. Kraft.
Hymes, D., John, V. P., & Cazden, C. B. (1972). Functions of Language in the
Classroom. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.
Iqbal, S., Nabi, A., Muneer, S., & Anuar, M. (2013, December). Impact of Training on
Expectation of Employee and Employer: A comparative study. Retrieved
August, 2016, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261031254_Impact_of_Training_
on_Expectation_of_Employee_and_Employer_A_comparative_study
74

J b 2 M b G ’ Perception
E y ’ Ex R E y b y k
University of Gujrat, Pakistan.
Jenkins, A. (2016). 5 Factors that Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethics. Retrieved August
27, 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-factors-demonstrate-
strong-work-ethic-15976.html
Jimenez, M. (1992). The Relevance of College Academic Preparation to Job Placement
Requirements.
J K Y Z J R M 2 6 “U
between Critical Thinking and Job performance". Pearson Education.
Job Preparation. (1989). New Jersey: Pretice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.
Jusoh, M., Simun, M., Chong, S. (2011) "Expectation gaps, job satisfaction, and
organizational commitment of fresh graduates: Roles of graduates, higher
learning institutions and employers", Education + Training, Vol. 53 Iss: 6,
pp.515 – 530
Kubler, B., & Forbes, P. (2005). Student Employability Profiles. London: CIHE.
Labor Force Survey. (2016). Retrieved August 28, 2016 from Philippine Statistics
Authority website: https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-force
Lockhart, K. (2013). Employers Expectations: Just What Do They Want?. Association of
People Supporting Employment First Connections. Retrieved from
http://www.apse.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/apseconxnjune13.pdf
Marshall, J. R. (2014). Essential Skills for Health Career Success. Tinley Park, Illinois:
The Goodheart-Willcox.
McLeod, S. (2008). Likert Scale. Retrieved September 7, 2016 from:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.html
Memnun, D. S., Hart, L. C., & Akkaya, R. (2012, December). A Research on the
Mathematical Problem Solving Beliefs of Mathematics, Science and
Elementary Pre-Service Teachers in Turkey in terms of Different
Variables. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(24),
172-184.
M M H b R 2 U y LG ’E y
Profile. Legazpi City, Albay: Bicol University.
Meyer, S. P., & Hecht, A. (1996). University growth poles in Canada: an empirical
assessment. Canadian Journal of Regional Science, 19, 263-282.
Murcia, M. C. (2006). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (3rd ed.).
USA: Thomson Learning Asia.
75

Navarro, R. L. (n.d.). University-Industry Collaboration in the Philippines.


Nezu, R. (2005). An Overview Of University-Industry Collaborations In Asian Countries
Toward Effective University-Industry Partnerships.
Omar, Z. (2005). What Employers Expect of Graduates.
Pannogan, O. C., & Ocampo, D. P. (2016). Tracer Study of Bachelor of Arts Graduates
Major in English. International Journal of Advanced Research in
Management and Social Sciences, 5, 281-287.
Perroux, François (1950): Note sur la notion de poles croissance. Economic Appliquee,
1 & 2:307-320 (Translated by Mette Monsted, 1974)
Philippine Employment Trends. (2015). Retrieved August 28, 2016 from International
Labor Organization website:
http://www.ilo.org/manila/public/newsitems/WCMS_362515/lang--
en/index.htm
Pulmones, M. T. (2009). Level of English Grammar Competence of the Third Year
College Students in the University of San Agustin: Basis for Enrichment in
the Language Program. Iloilo City: University of San Agustin.
Quinn, R. (2011). Literacy and numeracy for learning and life. Marborough: Department
of Education and Skills.
Rajendranagar, H. (n.d.). "Work Ethics for Development Professionals". Retrieved
August 27, 2016, from
http://www.manage.gov.in/studymaterial/workethics.pdf
Ramli, J. A., Surbaini, K. N., Kadir, M. R., & Abidin, Z. Z. (2013). Examining Pre-
Internship Expectations among E y ’
Characteristics and Internship Program: The Empirical Study of Malaysian
Government-L k y’ U y M 32 2-120.
doi: 10.5923/j.mm.20130302.08
Rangaa, M., & Etzkowitz, H. (2014). Triple Helix Systems: An Analytical Framework for
Innovation Policy and Practice in the Knowledge Society. USA: Stanford
University.
Republic Act No. 7722. (1994). Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Resurreccion, M. M. (2010, March). The Level of Discourse Competence of English
Major Students in Cotabato Province. Cotabato City, Cotabato: Notre
Dame University Graduate School.
Roble, J. G. (2010, October). The Communicative Competence of the Graduate
Students of Captiol University: Basis for Communicative Competence
English Language Program. Iligan City, Lanao del Norte: Capitol
University.
76

Salvosa F. (2015). Philippines struggles with Unemployment despite Economic Growth.


Retrieved August 28, 2016 from CNBC website:
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/01/unemployment-in-philippines-an-issue-
despite-rapid-economic-growth.html
San Jose, A. E. (2014). Finding the Linguist: An AB English Graduates Tracer Study.
International Journal of English Language Education, 2(2), 241-252.
Retrieved June 2016 from: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v2i2.6295
Saud, M. S., Shu'aibu, B., Buntat, Y. & Jabor, M. K. (2012). The relevance of
Information and Communication Technology Skills in Technical and
Vocational Education for Graduates' Employability: A Technical Review.
Archives Des Sciences, 65(8), 440-446. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256417088
Self-efficacy Theory.(2009).Retrieved July 2016, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/self-efficacy-theory/
Stephen P. Meyer, A. H. (1996). University Growth Poles in Canada: An Empirical
Assessment. Wilfrid Laurier University.
Subramaniam, N., & Freudenberg, B. (2007). Preparing Accounting Students for
Success in the Professional Environment: Enhancing Self-efficacy
Through a Work Integrated Learning Program. Asia-Pacific Journal of
Cooperative Education, 8(1), 87-102. Retrieved from:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1493467
Tansinsin, L. G. (2006). Development Of University-Industry Partnerships For The
Promotion Of Innovation And Transfer Of Technology: Philippines.
Ume-Amen, N. (2014 E y ’ Ex V P F
Graduates: Business Schools. Market Forces, IX(2), 39-50.
Vea, R. B. (2014). Industry-Academe Collaboration for Research and Development.
Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Retrieved from
http://dirp4.pids.gov.ph/webportal/CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsdps1410.pdf
Villegas, M. (2009, November 9). Symbiosis Between Academe and Industry. Manila
Bulletin.
Vipinosa, L. D. (2015, May). Productivity, Work values, and Teaching Effectiveness of
Science Teachers in Capiz State University. International Journal of
Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2(5), 423-427.
Wijewardene, L. (2014). English for Employability – The Need of the Hour for Sri
Lankan Graduates. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 17, 137-
145.
Williams, E. (1979, October). Elements of Communicative Competence. English
Language Teaching Journal, XXXIV.
77

Wood, M. (2014). Getting Real In The Real World: The Latest In University-Business
Partnerships. Retrieved from http://www.skilledup.com/insights/getting-
real-in-the-real-world-latest-in-university-business-partnerships
Wyse, S. (2011). Rating and Ranking Questions: Levels of Importance in Your Survey.
Retrieved September 7, 2016 from:
http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/rating-and-ranking-questions-levels-of-
importance-in-your-survey/
Yorke, M., & Knight, P. (2003). Assessment Learning and Employability (1st end.,
Society for Research Into Higher Education). Open University Press.
78

November 15, 2016

Dear Respondent,

We, the students of Bachelor of Arts Major in English at Jose Rizal


University in Mandaluyong City, are conducting a study entitled Private Employers'
Expectations and Job Requirements for AB English Graduates: Implication to
University - Industry Partnership.

The objective of this research is to determine the expectations of private


employers, their job requirements for AB English graduates, and in the process, the
value of being able to meet those expectations and requirements.

Enclosed is a survey questionnaire designed to collect information on:


pertinent qualities, attitudes, and skills such as leadership, communicative competence,
literacy and numeracy, critical thinking, management, information technology, and work
ethics, ranked according to importance by private employers. Your participation in this
research project is completely voluntary. Your identity shall be kept confidential.

Thank you and we hope that this request will merit your most favorable
response.
Control No. _______ 79

Survey Questionnaire

Section A: Expectations

This section consists of questions related to Level of Importance of the attributes/competencies


expected by the industries from AB English graduates.

1. Mark the industry / type of company in which you hire AB English graduates.
 BPO
 English Tutoring Center
 Private School
 Publication

Name of Company: _______________________________________________________

2. Employer expectation regarding fresh AB English Graduates (check only one in each
case)
The scale is as follows:
5 - Very Important
4 - Important
3 - Neither important nor unimportant
2 - Less Important
1 - Not at all important

5 4 3 2 1
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes

3. Employer expectation of newly hired graduates by attitude, skill and knowledge.


ATTITUDE 5 4 3 2 1
Aptitude and willingness to learn
Commitment and dedication
Creativity
Self-discipline
Self-motivated
Work Ethics
SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1
Communicative Competence
Critical Thinking
Information Technology
Leadership
Literacy and Numeracy
Management

1
80

KNOWLEDGE 5 4 3 2 1
Consumer behaviour
Environment
Organization and processes within it
Products/ services including those of
competitors

4. Employer expectation of newly hired graduates by specific competencies.

A. BASIC LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1


1. Organizes basic ideas; communicates orally.
2. Organizes basic thoughts, ideas, and messages in writing;
creates documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports,
graphs, and flow charts.
3. Receives, attends to, interprets, and responds to basic verbal
messages/cues.
4. Has the ability to locate, understand, and interpret basic written
information in documents such as manuals, graphs, and
schedules.
B. CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1
1. Can generate new ideas.
2. Can specify goals and constraints, generates alternatives,
considers risks, and evaluates and choose the best alternative.
3. Recognize problems and devise and implement plan of action.
4. Acquires and applies new knowledge and skills from multiple print
and digital sources.
5. Discovers a rule or principle underlying the relationship between
two or more objects and apply it when resolving a problem.
C. LEADERSHIP SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1
1. Exerts a high level of effort and perseveres toward goal
attainment.
2. Believes in his own self-worth and maintains a positive view of
oneself.
3. Sets personal goals, monitors progress, exhibits self-control and
takes responsibility for his actions.
4. Chooses ethical courses of actions.
5. Communicates ideas to justify positions, persuades and
convinces others, and responsibly challenges existing procedures
and policies.
D. MANAGEMENT SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1
1. Uses or prepares budgets, make forecasts, keep records, and
makes adjustments to meet objectives.
2. Allocates time efficiently.
3. Performs/manages several tasks.

2
81

E. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SKILLS 5 4 3 2 1


1. Chooses procedures, tools or equipment including computers and
related technology.
2. Understands overall intent and proper procedures for the setup
and operation of equipment.
3. Selects and analyses information and communicates the results
to others in oral, written, graphic, pictorial or multimedia records.
F. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE 5 4 3 2 1
1. Knows how to use grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a
language.
2. Knows how to use and respond to language, given the setting,
the topic, and the relationships among the people communicating.
3. Knowledgeable on how to interpret the larger context and how to
construct longer stretches of language so that the parts make up
a coherent whole.
4. Knowledgeable on how to recognize and repair communication
breakdowns, how to work around gaps in one’s knowledge of the
language and how to learn more about the language and context.

Section B: Evaluation Tools and Methodologies

1. Mark the evaluation tools used by your company in assessing your applicants.

 Intelligence Testing  Integrity Test


 Aptitude Testing  Situational Judgment Test
 Multimedia Computerized  Work Samples
Test  Teaching Demonstration
 Job Knowledge Test  Others
 Personality Test Please specify:
 Behavioral Interview _____________________
 Stress Interview

2. Mark the methodologies used by your company in assessing your applicants.

 Screening and Phone


Interview  Teleconferencing/ Web
 Face-to-face Interview Conferencing Interview
 Candidate Group  Assessment Centers
Interview  Others
 Panel or Committee Please specify:
Interview _____________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much.

3
82

Novemtrcr 21,2016

Dr.HcnryG.Mngad-
Dean, Ccllege of Liberal Affi, Criminology, ffid Education
Josc Rizat uaiversig"
SS Shaw Boulevard, L{andaluyorg, I552 Metr* Manila

Dear Dr, Magat,

The undersigaed a\eil AB Englistr studen8 would like to seek yourpermission to conduct
several surveys outside of our University for orn research Fper, entitled Private Employers'
Exryctations and Jsb Requtrements for AB Engtish Grrxluates: Implication to Untversity -
Indastry P*tnershrp. Our research paper aims to determine &e orpectations ofprivate
emplo-vers, theirjob requirements for AB English graduates, and ia the process, the value of
being able to meet those expectations and rquirements.

Ib collect that data nede{ we will distibute survey questionnaires to private employers fr,om
several companies from slrcific industries arotmd Mandaluyong City. The questionnaires are
designed to collect information on: pertinent qualities, attitudes, and skills such as leadership,
communicative competence,literacy and numeracy, crilical thinking, manageme,lrt, and
information ranked according to importance by private employers.

Thank you and we hope that this request wifl merit your most favorable response.

Respectfully yours,

Ann Antinex)
83

Not*d hy

Approved by

frean, College *f Lib*rrd rlrfs, Criminolog3s, *rcd Education


84

$URVEY QUESTIONIIIAIRE VALIDATION FORNfi

11t 15 t 16
Date

Private Ernployers' Expeetation and Job Requirements fsr


AB English Graduates lmplication to University - lndustry Partnership

Title of the Study:

Proponent$ of the $tuldy:

1. Antinero, Eloisa Ann


2. Atienzd, Roselyn
3, Belfin, Ralne Danlelle
4. Rotoni, Jessa
5. $antos, Kris

Comrnents and $ugsestion$:

(Revisions suggested written on questionnaire)

Checked by:

ELSON P. QUIBA

$ignature over Printed Name


85

November 11, 2015

Mendelson P. Qulba, M.A., RGC


Director, Guidance and Testing Office
Jose RizalUniversity
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong,1552 Metro Manila

Dear Mr. Quiba,

The undersigned 4th year AB English students of 4018 would like to ask for your expertise in
validating the attached .surveyy'uestionnaire for our research entitled Private Employers 7
Expectations and Job Req0irements for AB English GraduateS;4mplication to University - Industry
Partnership. Our research paper aims to determine the expectations of private employers, their job
requirements for AB English graduates, and in the process, the value of being able to meet
those expectations and requirements.

Thank you and we hope that this request will merit your most favorable response.

Respectfully yours,
futrfuYt(

Eloisa Ann Antinero

Roselyn Atienza

Raine Danielle Delfin

Kris Santos

Jessa Rotoni

Noted by

Prof, Ariem V. Cinco


Thesis Adviser
Control No. 86

Survey Questionnaire

$ection A: Expectations
This section consists of questions related to Level of lmportance of the
ttributes/competencies expected by the industries from AB English graduates.

1. Mark $e industry I type of company in which you hire AB English


graduatee. t _LA"D drt .t
trBPo { w'drrn*/P
Jiil*-t- ? ?
. F
trPubtication f Gwc
tr English Tutoring I u
'l* f
tr Private School ' N o
Name of Company:

2.1 Employer expectation arding fresh AB English Graduates {check only

/ Knowledge
/ Skills r oV/"
/

3. Employer expectation of newly hired graduates by attitude, skill and


knourledge.

4 3 I
Neither
important
Not at all
lmportant nor
important
unimport
ant
Aptitude and willingnes$ to learn nY]/
$elf-discipline
87

Selfrmotivated
Cornmitment and dedication

3 I
Neither
important
Not at all
nor
important
unimport
ant
Leadership
Comm u n icative Competence
Literacy and Nurneracy
/
Critical Thinking au{/
Management
I nformation Technology
Work Ethics

3 I
Neither
important
Not at all
nor
irnportant
unimport q
ant
Environment
Organization and processes L
within it iI
il

Products/ services including those I

of competitors
Consumer behavior ,;
./ "a

/ *. Employer sxpectation of newly hired gradu by competency.


y*-- €
ffi*j
5 4
Neither
{
I f,o

I^,P important

af{fu
very
lmportant
lmportant nor
unlmport
Less
lmportant
Not at all
important l,$. ?
1t ant
I ',{tel
fl',. 1. Performs
.
basic computations
and approach practical
\ problems with different
mathematical techniques.

2
88

3 1

Neither
important
Not at all
nor
important
unimport
ant

2. Organize$ basic ideas;


communicates orally.
3. Organizes basic thoughts,
ideas, and me$sage$ in writing;
creates documents such as
letters, directions, rnanual$,
reports, graphs, and flow
charts.
4. Receives, attends to, interprets,
and responds to basic verbal
messageslcues.
5. Has the ability to locate,
understand, and interpret basic
written information in
documents such as manual$,
raphs, and schedule$.
6. Can generAte new ideas.
.banspecrdfrtoals and
constraints, getrerates
alternatives, considers risks,
and evaluates and choose the
best alternative.
8. Recognize problem$ and
devise and implement plan of
action .

g. Organizes and processes


symbols, picture$, graphs,
objects and other information.
lO.Acquires and applies new
knowledge and skills frorn
multiple print and digital
sources.
ll.Discover$ a rule or principle
underlying the relationship
behrveen two or more objects
and apply it when resolving a
problem"

3
89

3 {
Neither
irnportant
Not at all
nor
important
unimport
ant
1?.Exerts a high level of effort and
A perseveres toward goal
attainment,
0*n\ 13. Believes in his own self-worth
and maintains a po$itive view of

14.Sets personal goals, monitors


progrsss, exhibits self-control
and takes responsibility for his
actions.
- J 5. Chooses ethical courses of

16. Cornmunicates ideas to justify


position$, persuades and
convinces others, and
responsibly challenges existing
procedures and policies.
17 .Selects goal-relevant activities,
ranks them, allocates time, and
prepares and follows schedule.
18. Uses or prepares budgets,
make forecast$, keep records,
and makes adjustments to meet
objectives
l9.Aquires stores, allocates and
u$es materials or space
efficiently.
24. Allocates time efficiently.

21 .Assesses skills and distributes


work accordingly, evaluates
performance and provides
feedback.

22. Performslmanages several


tasks.

4
90

s 4 3 2 {
Neither
important
very Less Not at atl
lrnportant nor
lmportant lmporhnt important
unimport
ant

23. Chooses procedures, tools or


equipment including computers
and related technology.
24. Understands overall intent and
proper procedures for the setup
and operation of equipment.
25. Prevents, identifies, or $olves
problems with equipment,
including computers and other
technology.
26. ldentifies the need for data,
obtain data from existing
sources or creates it, and
evaluates its relevance and
accuracy.
27. Organizes processes and
maintains written or
computerized records and other
forms of information.
28. $elects and analyses
information and communicates
the results to other$ in oral,
written, graphic, pictorial or
multimedia record$.

29.Employs cornputers to acquire,


organize, analyse and
communicate information, and
demonstrates some proficiency
with standard softrrare.
30" Knows how to use grammsr,
syntax, and vocabutary of a
language.
31. Knows how to use and respond
to language, given the setting,
the topic, and the relationships
among the people
Gomrnunicating.
91

s 4 3 2 I
Neither
important
very Less Not at alt
lmportant nor
lmportant lmportant important
unimport
ant

SZ.Knowledgeable on how to
interpret the larger context and
how to con$truct longer
stretches of language so that
the parts make up a coherent
whole.
S3.Knowledgeable on how to
recognize and repair
commun ication breakdowns,
how to work around gaps in
one's knowledge of the
language and how to learn
more about the language and
c0ntext.
34. Atrends required organizational
meetings and events.
35. On time for organizational
meetings and events.
36. Achieves organizational and
4 personal goals independently.
37 .Completes work ontime,
38. U nderstands organ izational
protocols and procedures.
Demonstrates a positive
\
-_39.
attitude at work.
40.Dependable at work.
41 ,Demonstrates integrity in his
\ dealings.

Section B: Evaluation Tools and Methodologies


1. ilark the evaluation toolg qp{-methodologies that are used by your
com pa ny n assess n/ 9o riT bEhrica nts.
i i

tr Cognitive Ability Test El General MentalAbility Test


92

n Vocational * Interests Test n Behavioral lnterview


n Aptitude Test n $trese lnterview
n Multimed ia Computerized E Integrity Test
Test n $ituational Judgment Test
n Job Knowledge Test n Work Samples
fI Personality Test H Physical Ability Test
n Biographical Data n Teaching Demonstration
EI $creening and Phone n Asses$ment Centers
lnterview n Others
il Faceto-face lnterview
n Candidate group lnterview PIease
n Panel or Committee $pecify:
lnterview
Te leco nfe ren ci ngl \lfeb
conferencing I nterview
2. Using thisltheee toolls, how many AB English graduates of Jose Rizal 7
University who applied in your company in ttp past 5 yeanB from 2011 to t
(

2015?
007*
Nr .a*

Failed W
lf they failed, at what 1n
stage of the recruitment
process?
tl HR lnterview
y*tu
fl Exams
n
n
Technical Review
Manager's
^i ^/f
7
Reviewl Final

Thank you very much. @

7
93

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE VALIDATION FORM

t{ovembe,r lg t 2o tC
Date

rire of the study ='fr'fr,,Tgx';,,ffifrw!#''i2"#{1frr:;"**h b

Proponents of the Study:

1. $nlin@t Eloisa $nn f .

2. Afi enzA , Ro se{yn F .

3. 1dfin , Kc,ino Donie[l< S,

4, Rofuni , Jes,ra R.

5. Corrfos, kiE ?.

Comments and Suggestions:

donla,

T,vql ueLJ
c)ffid by:

over Printed Name


94

Novernber L4,20L5

Dr. Rhea Santillan


Professor
Jose RizalUniversity
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong, L552 Metro Manila

Dear Dr. Santillan,

The undersigned 4th year AB English students w0tdd like to ask for your expertise in validating the
attached survey questionnaire for our research entitled Private Employers' Expectations and Job
Requirements for AB English Graduates: lmplication to University - lndustry Partnership. Our
research paper aims to deterrnhe the expectations of private employers, their job requirements
for AB English graduates, arul in the process, the value of being able to meet those expectations
and requirements.

Thank you and we hope that this request will merit your most favorable response.

Respectfully yours,

Ann

Noted by
Control No. 95

Survey Questionnaire

Section A: Expectations
This section consists of questions related to Level of lmportance of the
attributes/competencies expected by the industries from AB English graduates.

1. Mark the industry / type of company in which you hire AB English


graduetes.
N BPO
fl Publication
n English Tutoring
H Private School

Name of Company:

2. Employer expectation regarding fresh AB English Graduates (check only


one in each case)

5 4 3 2 1
Nelther
Very lmportant Less Not at all
Important
Impoffant nor lrnportant important
unimportant
Knowledge
$kills
Attitudes

3. Employer expectation of newly hired graduatee by attitude, skill and


knowledge.

3 1
Neither
important
Not at all
nor
important
unimport
ant
Aptitude and willingness to learn
Creativity
Self-discipline
96

$elf-motivated
Commitment and dedication

s 4 3 2 1
Neither
very important
lmportant Less Not at all
lmportant nor
lmportant impottant
unimpsrt
amt
Leadership
Comm u n icative Competence
Literacy and Numeracy
Critical Thinking
Management
nformation Tech nology
I

Work Ethics

5 4 3 2 1.
Neither
important
very Less Not at all
lmportant ROr
Irnportant lmpofrant important
unimport
ant
Environment
Organization and processes
within it
Products/ services including those
of competitors
Consumsr behavior

4. Employer expectation of newly hired graduates by competency.

3 I
Neither
important
Not at all
nor
unimport impo*ant
ant

F 1. Perfo!'rns basic cornputations t r/lS?/


,tl and approach practical
b
E ith different
? rnathematical
2-

v/ ?
th's r h,wn **urn Mt
Yfl'tffi[g tusl; {u
97

Not at all
important

2. Organizes basic ideas;


communicates orally.
3'ffi64ffi$n
ideas, and me$sages in writing;
creates documents such a$
letters, directions, manuals
reports, graphs, and flow
char-ts.

4. ffiffi3ffierprets,
and resBonds to basic verbal
messages/cues.
5. Has the ability to locate,
.ff_ understand, and interpret baslc
7* written inforrnation in
docunrents such as manuals,
$tu raphs, and schedules.
h*1.bl 6. Can generate Rew ideas.
Tt.nLig
7. Can specify goals and
constraints, generates
"t {$\ alternatives, bonsiders risks,
i*t' and evaluates and choose the
$r\ best alternative.
,Ti[ 8. Recognize problerns and :

rS ', devise and implement plan of


$N action"
S. Organizes and processes
I"t' syrnbols, pictures, graphs,
.$E ebjects and othen informatioR.
10. Acquires and applies new
knowledge and skills frorn
J$ multiple print and digital
d: r:t sources.
"! 1. Discovers
e rule or principle
l
,*
underlying the relationship
behnreen hruo 0r more objects
$ fr and apply it when resolving a
problem. ,
98

3 I
Neither
important
Not at all
ROr
unimport irnportant
ant
1Z.Exerts a high level of effort and
persevere$ toward goal
attainment"
13" Believes in his own self-wsfrh
and maintains a po$itive view of
0neself.
s 14. Sets pe!'sonal goals, monitors
$
\ progress, exhibits self-control
$ and takes responsibillty for his
actions.
T
\s 15. Chooses ethical courses of
actions"
$
1S. Communicates ideas to justify
positions, persuades and

responsibly challenses existing

ts 17
procedures and policies.
"Selects goal*relevant activities,
ranks thenn, allocates time, and
t\r
q"
t prepares and follows schedule.
*f
18" Uses or prepares budgets,
$ make forecasts, keep records,
s' and makes adjustments to meet
E objectives"

ks 1S. Acquires stores, allocates and


uses materials 0r space
ft efficiently"
E 20. Allocates time efficienfly.

2'! .Assesses skills and distributes
work accordlngly, evaluates
performance and provides
feedback"

22" Perforrnslmanage$ $svenal


tasks"

4
99

Not at all
important

23. Ghooses procedulres, tools or


equipnnent includlng ccmputers
and reiated technology"
24. understands overalx intent and
proper procedures for the setup
and operation of equipment.
25. Prevents, identifies, or solves
problenns with equipment,
including Gomputers and other
technology"
\1
e. 26. ldentifies the need tor data,
obtain data from existing
*s. sources or creates it, and
evaluates its relevance and
accuracy.
27. Organizes proce$ses and
maintain$ w!"itten CIr
computerized records and other
fornns of infornnatiotl.
28" Selects and analyses
information and eommunicates
the re$ults to others in oral,
written, graphlc, plctorial or
multimedia records"

29.Employs computers to acquire,


organize, analyse and
communicate information, and
demonstrates some proficiency
with standard softruare,
30. Knows how to use grarnrnatr,
syntax, and vocaburlary of a
language.
31. Knows how to use and respond
to language, given the setting,
the topic, and the relationships
amoRg the people
communicating.

5
100

Not at all
important

32" Knowledgeable on how to P$fiu)


interpret the larger coRtext and
how to construct longer

s.g
{
stretches of language so that
the parts make up a coherent
,d whole.
{
$
q 33" Knowledgeable on how to
recognize and repair
'$ cornm unication breakdowns, $Frb
how to work around gaps in -h,,il
one's knowledge of the
Ianguage and how to learn
rnore about the language and
fif'
context"
34. Attends required organizational
rneetings and events.
35" On tirne for o!'ganizational
rneetings and events.
3S. Achieves organizational and
personal goals independenfly.
{
s\-
A
37. Completes work on-time.
38" U nderstands organizational
+- protocols and procedure$"
+_
39. Demonstrates a positive
attitude at work.
40.Dependable at work.
41 .Demonstrates integrity in his
dealings"

Section B:Evaluation Tools and Methodologies


1. Mark the evaluation tools and methodologies that are used
company in assessing your applicants.

m fuPl\xgt,, rest ,,( m General Men

C't010{ta.,: S *:l P^ lfi^ U Mh,r, u,rll


i I+gm4:
^
0ry0'nnrb ll, wq [rit o .]cult .tr Z- tVDr\raqyhor} tJt
rn, ]i.ltulohA , ]-4
r h4c h^lrqr*
101

n Vocational * lnterpd r.-f B Behavioral lnterview


H Aptitude Test,\{ m Stress lnterview
E Multimedia Computerized W lntegrity Test
Test W $ituationa! Judgment Test
w Job Knowledge Test H Work Samples , t Ld
ffi Personality Test n Tw{iW
Physicat Abitit y
n BlographicalDay/ m Teachlng Dernonstration
M Screening and Fhone p Assessrnent Centers
lnteruiew n Others
M Face-to-face I ntenriew
m Candidate group lnterview Please
m Fanel or Committee specify:
lnterview
M Teleconferencingl Web
conferencing I nterview
2- Using this/these tool/s, how many AB English graduates of Jose Rizal
University who applied in your company in the past 5 years from 2011 to
2015?

20{ { 24ffi 20{3 20{4 2015


Passed

Failed

lf they failed, at what


stage of the recruitrnent
process?
n HR lnterview
n Exams
tl Technical Review
m Manager's
Reviewl Fina!
Review

Thank you very much" O

7
102
103

JO$i RIZ.AL UNIYHRSITY

1,

Office of the University Librarian

f,:'

August 12,2016

Ms. Helen Addncula


University Librarian
Philippine Normal University
Taft Avs., Manila

Dear Sir or Madam:

The bearer(s), Eloisa Ann Anfinero, Rosel5n Atienzq Raine Danielle llelfin, Jessa
Rotonio and l(ris Santos, are currently engaged in research work coacerning "Private
Etnployers' Expectations and Job Requiremenx for AB English Gradualgs: Implication
to Univers ity -Indas try P artners hip.

They would like to consult your College feasibility/thesis collection zubject to your rules
and regulations.

We will appreciate any assistance you extend to the,ln.

Thank you

Verytrulyyours,

t(rtud.
RosELA o. onil MrIr\tDo
University Librarian

S0 Shsr Bouhd
,\{ondoluyong CiDr
I S52 Philippines
T {02} 531-8031 b 35
f: l02l531'6087
e: in#iru.edu
w: lvrvw.iru.edu
104

JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY

Office of the flniversity Librarian

July 22,2016

Prof. Chito Angeles


University Librarian
University of the Philippines
Diliman Ave., Quezon City

Dear Sir or Madam:

The bearer(s), Elosia Ann Antinero, Roselyn Raine Danielle Delfin, Jessa Rotoni and
Kris Santos, are currently engaged in research work concerning "Private Employers'
expectatiorts and job requirements for AB English Graduates: Implication to University-
Industry Partnership."

They would like to consult your College feasibility/thesis collection subject to your rules
and regulations.

We will appreciate any assistance you extend to them.

Thank you.

Very truly yours,

I\OEMI R. ARIN
Asst. University Librarian

B0 Show Boulevord
Mondoluyong City
1 552 Philippines
T: (021 531 -8031 to 35
F: (02) 531 -6082
e: iru@iru.edu
w: www.iru.edu
105

I. Employers’ Expectations – KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes)

Q1: Based on our findings, Attitude ranked the highest in employers’


expectations. As an employer, do you find this to be true? Why?

BPO: Yes. The right attitude towards work results in higher level of
performance and productivity. Skills and knowledge required to perform the
job can be learned if and when an employee has the right attitude.

Private School: Yes, because soft skills often times are harder to teach than
technical skills.

ESL: Yes, because it is very important that employees know how to deal with
their employers and their colleagues.

Publishing Company: Yes, in a workplace employee with a positive attitude


towards work stays for a longer period of time. Competition is seen as a
motivator that inspires employees to perform at their best to improve
productivity.

Q2: Based on our findings, Commitment and Dedication ranked the highest
for the descriptors of employers’ expectations. As an employer, do you find
this to be true? Why?

BPO: Yes. Although it is given that people come and go at work, it is


expected that employees must be committed and dedicated in their job.

Private School: Yes, because commitment and dedication are variables that
have a direct effect on employee retention.

ESL: Yes, because without commitment and dedication, employees cannot


do their tasks effectively.

Publishing Company: Job commitment and dedication is a quality that most


employers appreciate and reward. Company recognize the value of a good
worker who is willing to evolve and improve. Example of these are:
punctuality, being a team player, fully completing all tasks on time, and simply
not giving up easily.

Q3: Based on our findings, Information Technology Skills ranked the lowest
for the descriptors of employers’ expectations. As an employer, do you find
this to be true? Why?

BPO: Not true in the BPO industry. Computer Skills are needed although
some BPO jobs would not require high level IT skills.
106

Private School: Yes, because for AB grads, communication skills and critical
thinking skills would be most important.

ESL: No, it depends on the job description.

Publishing Company: Not at all, out IT skills plays important role in the
company, they are not just the support, but their skills are important in a day
to day office operation in the company.

I. Employers’ Expectations by specific competencies

Q1: Based on our findings, Communicative Competence ranked the highest


in employers’ expectations of newly hired graduates by specific
competencies. As an employer, do you find this to be true? Why? (For BPO
and ESL)

BPO: Yes. This is because employees are expected to communicate


effectively. Communicative competence is not just basic but a primary
requirement for one to succeed in any job.

ESL: Yes, because communication skill is one of the 21st century skills.

Q2: Based on our findings, Basic Literacy and Numeracy ranked the highest
in employers’ expectations of newly hired graduates by specific
competencies. As an employer, do you find this to be true? Why? (For Private
School)

Private School: Yes, because these are fundamental skills an employee


should have upon graduation.

Q3: Based on our findings, Information Technology Skills ranked the lowest in
employers’ expectations of newly hired graduates by specific competencies.
As an employer, do you find this to be true? Why? (For BPO, ESL and Private
School)

BPO: This is because the companies expect that these fresh graduates have
yet to develop higher level of proficiency.

Private School: Yes, because the core competency for AB is more on


communication rather than IT services.

ESL: No, because we are already in the 21st century and IT is one of the most
significant skills.

Q4: Based on our findings, Management Skills ranked the highest and Critical
Thinking ranked the lowest in employers’ expectations of newly hired
107

graduates by specific competencies. As an employer, do you find this to be


true? Why? (For Publishing Company)

Publishing Company: Yes, management skills is important most especially


for the upper level management, as managers are a critical part of business
success their management skills, the ability to make business decisions will
determine that company’s success or failure.

Critical thinking is work process being expected to rank and file employees as
they are required, gather information, accessing the current tasks that will be
assigned to them.

II. Evaluation Tools

Q: Based on our findings, Behavioral Test and Intelligence Test are quite
near in percentage for evaluation tools used by private companies, between
the two, which do you find more important? Why?

BPO: This is because Behavioral Test and Intelligence Test are readily
available, easy to use, and produces more accurate results as the tests are
standardized.

Private School: Depends on what I choose as a more important factor in


choosing my employee.es, because soft skills often times are harder to teach
than technical skills.

ESL: Behavioral Test is more important because it is easy to increase the


intelligence of the person, but it is hard to change his/her behavior.

Publishing Company: Both are important and needed in determining of


qualified applicants that fits in the specific role.

III. Would you be willing to accept AB English graduates from Jose Rizal
University?

BPO: Yes, very much.

ESL: Yes.

Publishing Company: Yes


IV. Job Opportunities (for Guidance and Testing Office)

Q1: Why do you think that a big number of AB English graduates tend to work
in the BPO industry?
A: Compensation, entry level is 18k.
108

Q2: What types of companies are usually invited for the career fair in Jose
Rizal University? Are any of them specifically for AB English graduates?
A: Business, IT, BPO, Manpower, *General - support services and * BPO are
are more likely to hire AB English graduates.
109
ANTINERO, ELOISA ANN J.
453 N. Cruz Street, Palatiw, Pasig City
eloisaann.antinero@my.jru.edu
eaantinero@gmail.com
Contact Nos.: 09067570140 / 09086033552

Objective(s):

Dedicated in seeking an opportunity where I will be able to


maximize my strong communication and critical thinking skills, education
background, and ability to work well with people, which will allow me to
help students learn the English language effectively using both traditional
and modern approaches.

EDUCATION
Tertiary
2013- Present Jose Rizal University
Bachelor of Arts Major in English
Academic Scholarship A
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Secondary
2009 – 2013 Pasig City Science High School
F. Legaspi Street, Maybunga, Pasig City

Primary
2008-2010 Palatiw Elementary School
Palatiw, Pasig City

ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION
The Journal - Literary Editor (June 2013 - March 2014)
Communication Arts Society - Research and Publication Committee
Chairman (June 2014 - March 2015)
JRU Book Buddies - President (June 2014 - March 2015)

SEMINARS ATTENDED

Career Search Preparation - September 27, 2016


C-24, Jose Rizal University

Peace and Mandala Seminar - September 24, 2016


G-63, Jose Rizal University

Major Ethical Principles Seminar - September 9, 2015


C-33, Jose Rizal University

National Conference in English Literature - November 28, 2014


Auditorium, Jose Rizal University

Officership and Organizational Structure Seminar - November 21, 2014


G-63, Jose Rizal University

Film Making and Script Writing Seminar - July 23, 2014


G-63, Jose Rizal University

1
PERSONAL INFORMATION 110

Age: 19
Gender: Female
Status: Single
Birthday: July 5, 1997
Birthplace: Mandaluyong City
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Jehovah’s Witness

SKILLS

Knowledgeable in Basic Microsoft Office Applications


Communication and Public Speaking
Debate and Adjudication
Critical Thinking
Leadership Skills
Organizational Skills
Writing

REFERENCES
Name : Maricar E. Oriarte
Contact No. : 09179369469
Position : Coordinator, English Department
Company : Pasig City Science High School
Relationship : Mentor

Name : Dr. Rommel B. Dela Cruz


Contact No. : 09164185340
Position : Professor, Languages Department
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Mentor

I certify that the above information are true and correct to the best of my ability.

____________________
Antinero, Eloisa Ann J.
Applicant

2
111

ATIENZA, ROSELYN P.
144 Sanggumay St. San Antonio Village, Antipolo City
ehlyn.atienza@gmail.com
Contact No. +639086036870

Objective(s):

I am a dedicated person who wants to secure a position in an esteemed organization where I can utilize my
knowledge, skills and experience that will lead to a long term career relationship.

EDUCATION

Tertiary
2013 – present Jose Rizal University
Bachelor of Arts Major in English
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Secondary
2009 – 2013 San Jose National High School
Sen. Lorenzo Sumulong Mem. Cir. Rd. Brgy. San Jose, Antipolo City

Primary
2003 – 2009 San Antonio Village Elementary School
San Antonio Village, Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo City

ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION

JRU Book Buddies - Membership Committee Chair (2014 – 2015)


Liberal Arts Students Organization - Member (2015 – 2017)

SEMINARS ATTENDED

Living the North American Dream - August 16, 2013


Jose Rizal University, Mandaluyong City

National Conference in Teaching Literature - November 28, 2014


Promoting the Love for Learning and Teaching of
F. Sionil Jose’s Novel in the K-12 Classroom
Jose Rizal University, Mandaluyong City

1
PERSONAL INFORMATION 112

Age: 19
Gender: Female
Status: Single
Birthday: February 3, 1997
Birthplace: Pasay City
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Catholic

SKILLS

Knowledgeable in Basic Microsoft Office Applications


English Proficient
Leadership Skills
Organizational Skills
Strong Interpersonal Skills

REFERENCES

Name : Eleanor R. Robles


Contact No. : 09082284134
Position : Faculty
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Professor

Name : Rachelle J. Gonzales


Contact No. : 09262460128
Position : Instructor
Company : Bulacan Polytechnic College
Relationship : Friend

I certify that the above information are true and correct to the best of my ability.

_______________________
Atienza, Roselyn P.
Applicant

2
113
RAINE DANIELLE S. DELFIN
10 Miyerkules St., Landcom Vil., Sta. Mesa, Manila
rdsdelfin@gmail.com
Contact No. +639438289899

Objective(s):

Seeking an internship in an environment which will give me an


opportunity to grow and excel in my field through hard work, research, and
perseverance.

EDUCATION

Tertiary
2013- Present Jose Rizal University
Bachelor of Arts Major in English
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Achievement/s: The Journal - Most Outstanding Journalist – Silver Ink (2013)


Film Fest 2014 - Best Director Short Film Making Contest (2014)
Film Fest 2014 – Best in Music Score Short Film Making Contest (2014)
Film Fest 2014 – Best in Editing Short Film Making Contest (2014)
Film Fest 2014 – Best in Script Writing Short Film Making Contest (2014)
EDU51 Research Preliminary Defense - Best Speaker (2016)
EDU51 Research Preliminary Defense – Best Group Defense (2016)

Scholarship/s: The Journal Managing Editor Scholarship Grant (2013-2014)


The Journal Editor in Chief Scholarship Grant (2014-2015)
Academic A Scholarship (2015-Present)

ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION

The Journal - Managing Editor (2013-2014)


- Editor in Chief (2014-Present)
JRU Book Buddies - Presidential Adviser (2014-Present)

SEMINARS ATTENDED

Film Making and Story Writing Seminar - July 23, 2014


Jose Rizal University

National Conference in English Literature: - November 28, 2014


“Promoting the Love for Learning and Teaching of
F. Sionil Jose's Novels in the K-12 Cassroom”
Jose Rizal University

36th PACSA and 20th PACSL Annual National Convention, -November 25-28, 2015
Seminar-Workshop, and Training
Baguio Crown Legacy Hotel, Kisad Road, Baguio City

Press Play 2016 - March 3, 2016


Ateneo de Manila University

Bilang Pilipino 2016 Ano’ng Say Mo? - March 30, 2016


Tv 5 Media Center, Reliance St, Mandaluyong City
1
114
Liberal Symposium - September 24, 2016
Jose Rizal University

SKILLS

English Proficient
Effective Communication
Proficient in Written and Oral Communication
Leadership Skills
Organizational Skills
Public Speaking
Interpersonal Skills
Microsoft Office Proficiency
Film Making and Directing Skills
Musically Inclined

REFERENCES
Name : Prof. Guia F. Constantino
Contact No. : 09334081604
Position : Chairman, Languages Department
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Mentor/ Professor

Name : Dr. Ana Belen S. Cuyugan


Contact No. : 09295781944
Position : Director, Student Development Office
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Mentor/Director

I certify that the above information are true and correct to the best of my ability.

___________________
Raine Danielle S. Delfin
Applicant

2
115
ROTONI, JESSA R.
388 E.Santos St. Sumilang Pasig City
martinajessa@gmail.com
09757410645

Objective(s):

Dedicated in seeking job opportunities where I can be able to apply my


education background, well developed communication skills, and also with
extreme motivation to show exceptional performance at the field of work.

EDUCATION
Tertiary
2013- Present Jose Rizal University
Bachelor of Arts Major in English
Academic Scholarship B
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City
Secondary
2008 – 2012 Danao National High School
Danao Cajidiocan Romblon

Primary
2007-2011 Danao Elementary School
Danao Cajidiocan, Romblon

ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION

JRU Book Buddies - Sponsorship Committee (2016-2017)


YES Organization - Member (2013-2014)
Chorale - Member (2016-2017)

SEMINARS ATTENDED

Workshop in “ Tiered Tasking.” - 2015


U.S Embassy in Manila.

MOOC Camp
“Shaping The Way We Teach English,1: The - 2015
Landscape Of English Language Teaching.”
University of Oregon in Partnership with Coursera.
U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Completion of MOOC Camp with distinction. - 2015


University of Oregon in Partnership with Coursera
U.S Embassy in Manila

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Age: 21
Gender: Female
Status: Single
Birthday: October 02, 1995
Birthplace: Romblon
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Christian
116
SKILLS

Knowledgeable in Basic Microsoft Office Applications


English Proficient
Effective Communication
Leadership Skills
Organizational Skills
Public Speaking
Interpersonal Skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills

REFERENCES

Name : Prof. Eleanor Robles


ContactNo. : 09082284134
Position : English Professor
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Adviser

Name : Ruth Modena


Contact No. : 09364627037
Position : Proof Reader
Company : Manila Typesetting Company
Relationship : Friend

I certify that the above information are true and correct to the best of my ability.

____________________

Rotoni, Jessa R.
Applicant
117
SANTOS, KRIS P.
7148 Ferrer Compound Brgy. Pinagbuhatan , Pasig City
kris_santos@rocketmail.com
09357428464

Objective:
To practice the knowledge that I obtained and start a career in a company that
will help me in honing my skills, and gain experiences where can make me a
better individual.

EDUCATION

Tertiary Jose Rizal University


2013-Present Bachelor of Arts Major in English
80 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Secondary Pinagbuhatan High School


2009-2013 Urbano Velasco Avenue Pinagbuhatan,
Pasig City

Primary Pinagbuhatan Elementary School


2003-2009 M.H. Del Pilar St. Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City

ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION

Association of Students of History - Member (June 2013 – March 2014)

Bobby C. Eusebio Scholarship Program - Academic Scholar (June 2013 - October 2016)

Communication Arts Society - Treasurer (June 2014 – March 2015)

JRU Book Buddies - Treasurer (June 2014 – March 2015)


- Auditor (June 2015 – March 2016)

Liberal Arts Students Organization - Sports Co-Chairwoman (June 2015 - March 2016)

Teatro Rizal - Sports Co-Chairwoman (June 2014 – March 2015)

Coursera - Shaping the Way We Teach English,1:


The Landscape of English
(October 2015 –November 2015)

Payroll, Pasig City Hall - Volunteer (October 2016)

SEMINARS ATTENDED

Taking the Leap Toward-Managing Your Success - January 23, 2013


in College

Film Making and Story Writing Seminar - July 23, 2014


118
National Conference in Teaching English Literature
“Promoting the love for Learning and Teaching
of F. Sionil Jose’s Novel in the K-12 Classroom” - November 23, 2014

The First Humans Out in Africa


A Journey of Mankind - June 20, 2016

Career Search Preparation


“Your Success Starts With You.” - September 7, 2016

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Age: 21
Gender: Female
Status : Single
Birthday: December 4, 1995
Birthplace: Pasig City
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Catholic

SKILLS

English Proficient
Effective Communication
Computer literate (Microsoft Office and Open Office Applications)
Organizational Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Video Editing

REFERENCES

Name : Rechy S. Llamas


Contact No. : 0906-327-8474
Position : Section Head
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Mentor

Name : Dr. May Samson


Contact No. : 0926-854-7986
Position : Professor
Company : Jose Rizal University
Relationship : Mentor

I certify that the above information are true and correct to the best of my ability.

_______________________
Santos, Kris P.
Applicant
Gantt Chart (Calendar of Activities)

Osbjective Contributing Task June July August September October

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Five topics of interest (Individual
Activity)
Choosing a Research Title Reading approved topics and choosing
a title as a group
Topic Approval
Planning and Drafting
Writing
Work on Chapter 1 Checking
Revision
Follow Up
Library Visits
Planning and Drafting
Writing
Work on Chapter 2
Checking
Group Meeting and Revision
Follow Up
Planning
Conduct Interviews
Discussion
Analysis
Work on Chapter 3
Writing
Checking
Revision
Follow Up
Completion of Preliminaries
Final Revision
Thesis Printing for Final Submission
Thesis Proposal Defense
119
Gantt Chart (Calendar of Activities)

Objective Contributing Task November December January February March

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Drafting of Survey Questionnaire
Finalization of Survey Questionnaire
Validation of Survey Questionnaire
Pilot Testing
Planning of Questionnaire Distribution
Work on Chapter 4 Data Gathering
(Presentation, Analysis, Conduct Interviews
Interpretation of Data) Tallying of Data
Statistical Consultation
Discussion
Writing
Checking
Revision
Drafting
Work on Chapter 5 Writing
(Summary, Conclusions and
Recommendations) Checking
Revision
Midterm Examination
Completion of Preliminaries
Final Revision of Chapters 1 to 3
Final Revision of Chapters 4 and 5
Mock Defense
Thesis Oral Defense
Final Submission
Graduation
120

You might also like