GOV.PH
The growing demand for soft skills and practical competencies required in the current labor industry prompts educational institutions like the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges to expose their students for a job in a real working environment. Significant to this effort is the implementation of on-the-job training (OJT) where students render a substantial number of hours applying their classroom and experiential learnings in an actual workplace.
More than 450 students were deployed for OJT across various industries in different provinces and regions in the Philippines by the College of Tourism, Hospitality, and Business Management (CTHBM) for the school year 2023-2024. As part of their curriculum, the Bachelor of Science in Office Administration (BSOA), Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management(BSTM), and Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) implement their OJT program under a rigorous procedure to ensure a relevant, impactful and well-supervised implementation. Guided by the Institutional Student Internship Manual, the dean of the college, program chairs and faculty-in-charge for OJT establish best practices of providing consistent guidance and support to student interns. This includes establishing a Memorandum of Agreement with a reputable Host Training Establishment (HTE), conduct regular evaluations, monitoring, and site visits to assess student progress and ensure compliance with program standard. Moreover, each program conducts pre-deployment orientations to prepare students for the demands of the workplace, maintaining regular communication with industry partners, and ensuring that the students are engaging in tasks that are aligned with their academic goals and career aspirations.
Specific for the BS Office Administration program, student interns complete their OJT over two semesters. In the first semester, they are deployed to general offices within and outside the Bicol Region. During the second semester, they participate in a 300-hour Student Internship Program (SIP) at both medical and legal firms, with 150 hours allocated to each. In medical firms, interns conduct their training in hospitals and rural health unit (RHU) clinics, while in legal firms, they work in courts such as municipal trial courts, regional trial courts, and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), where they assist with legal procedures. This comprehensive experience prepares them for future roles as stenographers.
Meanwhile, the BS Tourism Management program had 17 HTEs last semester, with 161 students deployed across various industries. At Dalian Peak Hotel in Clark, Pampanga, for example, 10 students rotated through front desk, food and beverage, and housekeeping positions. The BS Hospitality Management program had varying numbers of students assigned to different locations, with 40 students completing their OJT in Boracay, 15 in Tagaytay, and 20 in Manila.
While the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for BSHM is short-term and lasts only one year, the program has also established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with industry partners. This allows for long-term collaboration to re-establish partnerships without needing to renew agreements annually. As the program noted, this flexibility ensures that students continue to benefit from valuable industry connections. Moreover, apart from establishing partnerships with industries through official Memoranda of Agreement (MOA), students in some programs, such as BS Hospitality Management are given the flexibility to select internship sites that align with their financial capacity.
OJT has become a valuable part of every studentโs independent academic journey. For the College, it does not only prepares them to be competent in their field, but also connects them to their future employment.