Summary
Highlights
Dr. Juvie B. Hermosura, University Secretary, welcomes attendees to the Career and Employment Programs with the theme 'Shaping Futures: Rise with Purpose, Shine with Innovation, Anywhere.' She emphasizes that the event is an opportunity to empower dreams, discover possibilities, and prepare students for the ever-evolving world of work, highlighting the importance of adaptation, leadership, and meaningful contributions.
Miss Jishelle Hana Roas, Director of the Center for Guidance and Counseling Services, discusses practical strategies for job searches, building connections, and developing skills valued by employers. She acknowledges the anxiety and excitement of graduating students and stresses the importance of self-awareness, personal branding, and continuous learning in a challenging professional landscape, including the impact of AI.
Miss Roas outlines key pillars for success: skill stacking (lifelong learning), identifying purpose and values, personal branding (networking and passion), and embracing hybrid workplaces. She differentiates between hard and soft skills, emphasizing the need for digital literacy and emotional intelligence, especially for Gen Z entrants to the workforce. She also gives concrete advice on having a clear vision and setting short-term and long-term goals.
Tips for successful job interviews include being knowledgeable about the company, practicing answers to common questions, and projecting confidence. Miss Roas stresses the importance of nourishing well-being and developing resilience, defining it as the ability to stand up after failures and view setbacks as stepping stones. She reminds students that career is a journey, not a linear path, and to avoid comparison.
Miss Jan Laonilia Baris, CLP Linkages Coordinator, introduces the distinguished panel of industry experts for the roundtable discussion, highlighting their diverse backgrounds from aviation, law, governance, engineering, and education. The panel will share their career journeys, experiences, and advice to prepare students for future careers.
Mr. Duke Thomas G. Dooral, Chairperson of UMak's political science department, shares his journey from development work and teaching at Ateneo to pursuing a master's degree and ultimately becoming a department chairperson at UMak. He emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities, perseverance despite setbacks, and adapting to new environments.
Mr. Clinton Stean Cado, Business Development and Corporate Affairs Director of A&M Elite Aviation, recounts his career in the airline industry, starting as a flight purser and progressing to training specialist. He highlights his early desire to travel and how a chance encounter led him to apply to Philippine Airlines. He encourages students to explore the exciting world of travel and tourism.
Attorney Mel Kenneth Maboute, Legal Officer at Makati's Department of Engineering and Public Works, shares his unique path from civil engineering to law. He discusses facing challenges like unemployment during the pandemic and seizing scholarship opportunities at UMak Law School. He emphasizes actively seeking opportunities and leveraging skills, such as teaching, to further one's career.
Dr. Errol G. Sumag Sumagaya, SHS Department Head at HSL College, shares his inspiring journey in education, initially studying accounting and later pursuing education. He recounts his fulfilling experience teaching indigenous communities in Mindanao and his eventual transition to Manila, highlighting the rewards of touching students' lives and continuous professional growth.
Attorney Edward Emory Parib, Director of the Office of Legal Aid at Centro Esculara University, discusses his career evolution from journalist at GMA Network to educator and lawyer. He shares his ambition to be a journalist, then a teacher, and finally a human rights lawyer, crediting various mentors and inspirations along the way, including former Vice President Leni Robredo. He emphasizes the importance of passion and giving back to the community.
The panelists discuss how future professionals can develop resilience, adaptability, and leadership in a world of global issues, political changes, environmental challenges, and the rise of AI. Attorney Parib advises responsible use of AI, likening it to Wikipedia and emphasizing mastering basics before breaking rules. Attorney Maboute stresses maintaining ideals and ethical citizenship. Dr. Errol highlights continuous learning through formal education and seminars.
Mr. Cado likens new technology to water, advising students to 'play with it' rather than fight it. He stresses returning to fundamentals and product knowledge, drawing parallels with aviation's redundancy systems. Mr. Dooral emphasizes that human needs and power dynamics remain constant, and AI should be a tool to solve real-world problems. All panelists underscore the importance of mastering basic skills like reading and critical thinking.
The panelists offer their final advice. Mr. Dooral urges students to 'do it scared,' embracing fear as a catalyst for growth. Mr. Cado encourages self-reflection and addressing past issues to function effectively in the present. Attorney Maboute advises letting go of external expectations. Dr. Errol stresses connecting with God (vertically) and others (horizontally) through empathy and effective communication. Attorney Parib summarizes with 'three C's': communication, competence, and character, emphasizing reading and humility for humanity's sake.
Engineer Caseyn Minion from Dole NCR provides labor education, preparing students for the corporate world. She covers different types of employment (casual, contractual, probationary, regular, project-based, fixed-term, seasonal), emphasizing the importance of understanding employment contracts and differentiating between employers in contractual arrangements.
Engineer Minion explains workdays, breaks, and wages, including minimum wage rates in NCR, overtime pay computations (additional 25%), and holiday pay differentials (regular vs. special holidays). She details night differential pay (additional 10% for 10 PM-6 AM work) and statutory leaves like service incentive leave (5 days), maternity, paternity, solo parent, and special leaves for women and violence victims. She also clarifies 13th-month pay computation and security of tenure for regular employees.
Engineer Minion outlines the conditions for employee termination: just causes (e.g., serious misconduct, fraud) and authorized causes (e.g., redundancy, retrenchment). She explains the 'twin notice rule' for due process, which involves a notice to explain and a subsequent decision. Other worker rights include safe working conditions and mandatory social welfare benefits (SSS, ECC, PAG-IBIG, PhilHealth).
Mr. Easy Luis Pasqua from Makati Peso (Public Employment Service Office) introduces their services, which include job referral and placement, employer accreditation, and various job fairs (local, overseas, in-house). He also highlights the 'First-Time Job Seekers Act,' which waives government fees for documents, and career development support programs along with labor and employment education services.
Mr. Pasqua details special programs like SPES (Special Program for Employment of Students), GIP (Government Internship Program), and DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), which offer temporary employment opportunities. He concludes with practical job interview tips: preparing resumes, researching companies, anticipating questions, being punctual, honest, concise, and dressing appropriately to make a good first impression.
Certificates of appreciation are awarded to Engineer Caseyn Minion, Mr. Easy Luis Pasqua, and Mr. Orlando Pedro. Professor Virhilio Babu, Vice President for Student Services and Community Development, delivers the closing message. He congratulates the students, emphasizing their transition to the 'center stage' of the real world. He expresses confidence in their ethics of service learned at UMak and encourages them to provide feedback from their industry experiences to help refine the curriculum, especially in light of AI's impact on future job trends.
Miss Jan Laonilia Baris and Miss Cynthia Margareta Jose present certificates of appreciation to the distinguished panelists for their valuable insights and contributions to the forum. The citation acknowledges their expertise shared across various industry clusters.