In 2014, the Technological Institute of the Philippines established one of the first Career Centers in the Philippines. From its humble beginning as a small, family-owned school founded in the 60s, the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) has grown into one of the best Engineering and Information Technology schools in Metro Manila. Employers have recognized the academic institution as one of the most preferred schools for fresh graduate hires. Today, the TIP Career Center stands proud as a model for other higher education institutions to follow and remains true to its mission of serving students from all walks of life.
Dr. Frank Alejandrino, Director of TIP’s Career Center and mentor for USAID’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) program, credits the school management for their continued commitment to students. “The drive to empower our students comes from no less than our President,” says Frank, referring to TIP President Dr. Elizabeth Qurino-Lahoz. Recognizing the students’ need for better career education, TIP has enhanced the way it prepares students for life outside its four mighty walls and into the professional world.
Taking on the Challenge
In 2014, Dr. Quirino-Lahoz met with STRIDE and learned that in US universities, career centers are essential in strengthening linkages between higher education institutions (HEIs) and industries. Weeks later, TIP was among the first to collaborate with STRIDE to establish a dedicated Career Center, and started transforming its existing career services to increase the school’s engagements with students, employers, alumni, and other partners.
“Running the Career Center entails significant investments in terms of both capital and personnel—and that includes me,” says Frank. Establishing TIP’s Career Center came with its challenges, as it was a pioneering effort in the Philippines. Despite these hurdles, Frank and the rest of the TIP leadership were determined to establish their own center to provide better career development and preparation for their students.
“The first few years were challenging and scary, because we were doing something no school in the Philippines has done before. Our mentors continued to give us the confidence to push through,” Frank remembers.
USAID’s STRIDE Program provided TIP with mentorship from leading U.S universities. Over the course of three years, faculty from the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford University guided Frank and his team towards creating their own Career Center. Later on, trainers from Florida State University also visited TIP to monitor progress. Together, they piloted new activities for students, university officials, and potential employers. Frank also visited US universities to benchmark with his counterparts abroad, bringing back new ideas for what would eventually become TIP’s core career programs.
At present, the TIP Career Center stands proud, honed by years of mentoring from development partners, a dedicated management team, and unwavering support of its leadership. TIP’s approach for ensuring student success after graduation serves as a model that many HEIs seek to replicate.
Frank emphasizes that at the core of the Career Center are the students that it serves. The Career Center is always looking for ways to provide them with better opportunities to succeed in life.
Since its founding more than 50 years ago, TIP has mostly catered to students from the middle to lower socio economic classes. As Frank notes, their students often come from backgrounds that do not afford them the social connections or personal affiliations to help them land better jobs or access more career opportunities.
“Our President is passionate about bridging this gap—helping our students gain the confidence and experience at par with the more well-known universities in the country. The Career Center will strive to make those connections for them, so that they become better-prepared and self-assured for what lies ahead,” he says.
TIP’s Career Centers in its Manila and Quezon City campuses opened their doors in June 2014. Each center has facilities for training sessions, collaborative learning, business meetings, and career advising. An employer’s lounge is also a key feature of the center. Employers, industry partners, and students use these facilities for small networking events, career talks or fireside chats, student club meets, and faculty meetings.
Under Frank’s leadership, the Career Center has also successfully adopted an enrollment-to-employment strategy, providing students with relevant career information and activities as early as their first year in college. These activities are grouped under Student Development, Career Advising, Career Exploration, and Job Placement.
Student Development focuses on developing the proper mindset and character, identifying career goals as well as personal interests, and maximizing their potential. Career Advising and Exploration allow students to explore career options through internships, externships, alumni networking events, training seminars, and learning sessions with prospective employers. Lastly, Job Placement provides campus recruitment events, career fairs, and referrals.
As of March 2017, TIP has more than 900 industry partners, providing students internships, externships, and job opportunities. Alumni members also serve as resource persons for career talks, seminars, and workshops. They also stand as advisers for young alumni, and sponsors for some of the school’s programs.
TIP also launched its Virtual Career Center, a virtual platform connecting students and employers. The online hub offers programs such as Virtual Interview Lounge and Resume Clinic where students can consult on their résumés and portfolios, and have one-on-one practice interviews with career coaches. It also includes Jobs Depot, Intern Nook, and Virtual Job Fairs where students and graduates can browse internship and job opportunities, and sign up for career talks, fairs, and other events. With the current pandemic severely affecting in-campus activities, TIP’s virtual platform has become more important than ever. As such, TIP has already started migrating its traditional campus services into its virtual career center.
Achieving Success and Recognition
TIP’s hard work and efforts has bear fruit, as the Career Center continues to gain recognition not only from its students, but from employers, government agencies, and other HEIs. In 2016, both TIP campuses were granted Autonomous Status by Commission on Higher Education (CHED)—the highest possible award given to an HEI. In the same year, Jobstreet Philippines’ Employer Preference Survey named TIP as one of the top ten leading sources of fresh graduate hires. The success of this program has earned them leadership status in career education. Including HEIs from abroad, more than 50 academic institutions visit TIP campuses to benchmark facilities and activities. In 2019, STRIDE officially recognized TIP as a Model Career Center.
Frank thanks the STRIDE mentoring program for helping revamp TIP’s career services and creating positive change in students’ lives. He adds that the journey has shaped not only his perspective on the importance of career services in schools, but also his interest in helping other schools transform their own career centers, with the goal of ultimately increasing the employability of more young Filipinos in the years to come. “Being a pioneer of career education in the Philippines is not only a badge of pride for TIP but also an opportunity to help others, and build a more humane society. Salamat!," he concludes.
For more information about the TIP Career Center, check out their official website (www.tip.edu.ph) and Facebook page (@TIP1962official). (PIA NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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