Abstractglobalbizresearch.org/files/1-7005_ijrtl_rabel-catayoc...‘Competency Standard’ designed by the (CHED) under CMO 39, S. 2006 for BSBA program, majority of the participants

International Journal of Research in Teaching, Learning, Creativity & Technology (IJRTL)

An Online International (Double-Blind) Refereed Research Journal 2020 Vol: 3 Issue: 1

226

www.globalbizresearch.org

Gauging Industry-Oriented Competencies among Bachelor of Science in

Business Administration major in Human Resource Development Management

Graduates: Basis for Development of Competency Enhancement Program and

Proposed Policies to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the

Improvement of the Curriculum

Rabel Catayoc,

Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, Arlington, Texas, USA.

URL: https://thriveagency.com

E-mail: [email protected]

___________________________________________________________________________

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the competencies of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

major in Human Resource Development Management (BSBA-HRDM) graduates who were

already working. Specifically, the study sought to provide answers on: The profile of the

graduates; qualification of the graduates (participants) for employment in terms of the 14

Competency Standard designed by the CHED; the challenges encountered and competence to

counter such when in search for jobs and performing works as employees; skills or

competencies learned and developed in workplaces in relation to what have been learned in

college; Competency Enhancement Program to be developed in order to help pro-duce more

competent BSBA-HRDM graduates; and proposed policies to CHED for the improvement of

the curriculum. The study employed the descriptive method design that described an existing

phenomenon by quantitatively and qualitatively characterizing an individual or group using a

structured in-depth interview questionnaire, and Likert Scale. The study was conducted at

ABC School where 15 participants were identified, and purposively chosen regardless of

gender and marital status but were working. The study revealed that based on the

‘Competency Standard’ designed by the (CHED) under CMO 39, S. 2006 for BSBA program,

majority of the participants were underemployed at 73 percent and only a few were employed

at 27 percent. Though BS Psychology graduates were found to be the participants’ major

rival, the findings disclosed it has little to do with the amount of competition in the labor

market for HR jobs, but with specific competencies the participants should have already

(Karve, 2013; McCain & To-bey, 2007) possessed before going off to the labor market to

search for HR jobs. Because of the findings, a Competency Enhancement Program (CEP) was

developed aimed at addressing by enhancing both Behavioral and Technical Competencies of

the students.

___________________________________________________________________________

Keywords: Industry-oriented competencies, competence, behavioral competencies, technical

competencies, competency enhancement, policy

JEL Classification: C 19, G13, G 14



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1. Introduction

While there is a need to finish a college degree, there is also evidence of competition

among business administration newly graduates from various colleges and universities all

over the world particularly in the Philippines. Relatively, the rapid growth of businesses

nowadays in the Philippines (specifically in Mindanao) has given colleges and universities

ideas on what courses to offer to students who will be interested primarily in the field of

business administration. These include meeting industries’ demand concerning qualifications

and skills certain position in a company requires from a candidate. However, (ABS-CBN-

News, 2011) the country’s labor group reveals five (5) baccalaureate degrees that (according

to them) give its newly graduate fewer chances of landing a job after graduation. Four (4) of

which are also being offered at ABC School: Teacher Education, Nursing, Business

Administration, and Information Technology. The labor group argues there is evidently

increasing number of graduates and incoming students of the said courses that might result to

complexity in landing a job. Furthermore, a Labor Force Survey in 2009 divulges related in-

formation on some factors that helps explain the cause of an increase of unemployed

graduates in the country. Apart from the enormous oversupply of the graduates from the

specified programs, another factor that affects graduates unfavorably includes a mismatch

between jobs, inadequate technical skills, and behavioral competencies. These issues add

more weight to the unemployment rate of the country among those classified who did not

finish college; thus, it poses a negative impact to the economic growth of the state

(McClelland, 1973).

Edging competition in employment is one of the major factors a Bachelor of Science in

Business Administration major in Human Resource Development Management (BSBA-

HRDM) graduate should (Ujwary-Gil, 2011) consider in search for a job that’s perfectly or at

least related to the degree he/she earns from a certain university or college. It is because

several colleges and universities nationwide are offering the same course, BSBA-HRDM.

Also, some companies are still not aware that apart from BS Psychology graduates, BSBA-

HRDM graduates also have qualifications and competencies for HR positions. One factor that

added weighs to the number of unemployment is the lack of skills and or competency of the

graduates (Arum & Roksa, 2011). Another repulsive truth that negatively affects the chance

of an HRDM graduate to getting an HR position in a company is the fact that schools have

already established rapport and working experience with other companies in the past. These

schools include Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and the University of

Philippines. During the recruitment process, companies tend to discriminate and limit other

schools’ graduates from applying for the job opening (George et al, 2007). Since the release

of surveys on unemployment rates from various government sectors that involve employment



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and chosen career path in the Philippines, school systems all over the nation have tried to

improve the quality of their instruction. To help address the challenge of having unemployed

graduates also includes strategizing teaching techniques and necessary training for graduating

and influx of new students.

1.1 The Objective of the Research and Research Questions

As a BSBA-HRDM graduate, HR Generalist in a distribution industry, and HR Clerk–

Recruitment and Organizational Development (OD) in a manufacturing industry, the

researcher got interested to conduct the study when later he knew that majority of the HRDM

graduates landed on jobs that do not exactly require or at least re-late to the training they have

had in their 4-year degree, which suggests that majority of the graduates, are underemployed.

With that, the researcher sought to have a deeper and clearer understanding of the situation of

the HRDM graduates and how they are performing in their present jobs. One of his thrusts is

to determine whether or not the graduates have necessary technical skills and competencies in

the field of their chosen career in relation to what they have learned in college. Reasonably,

the necessity to conduct the study had something to do with finding out how to strengthen and

enhance their competencies, prevent and overcome the barriers of employment in the country

as far as the newly graduates and new university’s entrants taking up BSBA-HRDM are

concerned.

The researcher conducted the study in an attempt to assess the competencies of ABC

School BSBA-HRDM graduates who are already working. Mainly, it focused on the

competency / skills the graduates have developed in relation to what they have learned in

college.

Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the graduates in terms of: Age, Gender, Marital status, Entry-

level job, Employment status, Length of service and Basic monthly salary/wage?

2. How qualified are Business Administration major in Human Resource Development

Management graduates for employment in terms of the following competencies: (1)

Convey ideas clearly both oral and written in English, (2) Prepare, analyze, and

evaluate reports, proposals and concept papers; and explain the concepts, approaches,

techniques on how salary and overall compensation decisions are made, (3)

Demonstrate the values of fairness, transparency, accountability, hard work, honesty,

patience, diligence, innovative-ness and risk taking, (4) Apply the principles of the

different forms of communication, (5) Develop the ability to access, retrieve and

disseminate information using IT, (6) Perform quality work, (7) Understand the

concepts and principles of good interpersonal relations, (8) Develop a wholesome

personality, (9) Participate actively in business associations and comply with their



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policies and obligations, (10) Demonstrate leadership qualities, civic-mindedness and

responsible citizenship, (11) Conduct environmental scanning, (12) Con-duct

feasibility study and other business research/plan, (13) Explain the concepts,

approaches, and techniques of environmental conservation, (14) Know and

understand the country’s national development thrusts, concerns and socio-economic

indicators.

3. What challenges are being encountered by the graduates and how competent are they

to counter these challenges during the period when they are: In search of

employment, and Performing their work as employees?

4. What skills or competencies the graduates learned and developed in their workplaces

in relation to what they have learned in college?

5. What Competency Enhancement Program can be developed for the College of

Business Administration to students majoring Human Resource Development

Management (HRDM) in order to help produce more competent BSBA-HRDM

graduates?

6. Based on the findings, what must be the proposed policies to CHED for the

improvement of the curriculum?

2. Literature Review

Securing a position in a company at an HR department is one of the primary goals the

graduates have in mind. It is vital to understand that these graduates have already visualized

themselves working in a specific company where they wish to exhibit their skills and

competencies at a Human Resource Department as HR professionals (U.S Department of

Labor, 2008; Labor Department., Labor Statistics Bureau, 2006). However, the underlying

challenge they face is the fact that majority of the industries still prefer to employ graduates in

behavioral science rather than BSBA-HRDM graduates to fill-in its HR department. This

implies that gauging industry–oriented competencies among these graduates (in relation to

competencies they acquire while in the academe) is no optional but necessary (Zheng, 2013).

2.1 Professional Knowledge

In this study, the author believes that knowledge has a technical or theoretical component

in gauging industry-oriented competencies. This is one of the significant aspects in finding

out whether or not there are industry–oriented competencies among the graduates while they

are still in the academe. Frazis & Loewenstein (2006) claim that workers normally develop

several skills by having themselves go through formal education, which they have basically

undergone before joining in the company. Similarly, formal education is acquired from

colleges and universities. This is where they study and learn about their chosen field on how

to become HR practitioners and what it takes to become one. In the academe, is where skills



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developed in becoming an HR practitioner. According to the Commission on Higher

Education (CHED), the objectives of the BSBA program are the following: “(1) Complete

understanding of the concepts, principles, theories, and philosophies in Human Resource; (2)

Assist students seek employment and facilitate the integration process in the corporate

environment so they can be immediately productive once employed; (3) Assist the students in

appreciating the HR role in the organization and how they can make meaningful contributions

as a strategic partner in building the organization to become globally competitive (CMO 39.

Series of 2006).” These goals are realized and disseminated to students in a form of

instructions according to targeted objectives. These instructions are theoretical knowledge

that are learned in the classroom which plays a significant role to the learners (Svensson,

2006); it can be acquired from books; class simulation; case studies/analysis and other

classroom activities that promote higher order of thinking skills and help students develop

many skills related to what they have learned in the university. However, theoretical

knowledge is insufficient to become a successful HR practitioner unless it is translated into

competency (Nilsson, 2007; Svensson, 2006). As indicated in introduction, we have two

major research questions. One of them is to find out whether the inception.

2.2 Defining Competence (Competences) and Competency (Competencies)

To gauge industry-oriented competences among BSBA-HRDM graduates, it is vital to first

get a grasp between the terms ‘competence (competences)’ and ‘competency (competencies)’.

But the question is do the terms have the same meaning? Other authors claim that since the

publication of McClelland’s article entitled, ‘Testing for competence rather for intelligence’

in the early 1970’s the word ‘competency’ is defined interchangeably with ‘competence’ in

both research and practice which therefore leads to confusion (Ryan, 2012). Generally, some

dictionaries introduce both terms reciprocally and synonymous to each other. The plural

forms ‘competences’ and ‘competencies’ of ‘competence’ and ‘competency’ are

homophonous – words that have the same sounds but have different spelling and meaning

(Merriam-Webster, 2013). For instance, defines Sanghi (2007) ‘competence’ as related to

skill gained by attaining its set standards by which it is performed. On the other hand,

‘competency’ is behavior-based which refers to the conduct of an individual towards the

standard set for a skill. This refers to how the skill is achieved. In other words, the first

displays what a person can do, while the other shows how a person can do ‘what’ he can do.

This means competences refer to the range of skills acquired that an individual is required to

perform it agreeably while competencies (Sanghi, 2007) which refer to the characteristics that

enable application of acquired skills to areas where the same are needed to enhance

performance and productivity with desired results. This can be taken to mean that

‘competences’ and ‘competencies’ are not both the same in terms, meanings and level of



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significance depending on specific job or task (Ennis, 2006). Competency as behavior-based

also implies ability to put into application all acquired competences particularly in a

workplace setting. Whatever they serve best, competence or competences and competency or

competencies are equally significant that an HRDM graduate should possess as both have

remarkable impact to his effective performance in the organization as an HR practitioner.

2.3 The Higher Education Competencies

These definitions reveal that while it is true that competence and competency play a vital

role in an employee’s career, this same holds true to a BSBA-HRDM graduate. In an article

published by McClelland (1973) in the early 1970’s it claims competence as significant

predictor for employee’s success in relation to performance in the workplace (Ryan et al.,

2009). This points out that a graduate has to possess the right competence to be suitable to an

industry he chooses to be employed. Long before employment, while still a student, he has to

acquire the right competence of his chosen field (HRDM) in the academe; the right

competence he possesses makes him likely to succeed in getting a job. Correspondingly, the

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has set a ‘competency standard’ for its BSBA

Program graduates (Blömeke, et al, 2013; Cañado, 2012; Allen, et al, 2007).

2.4 On-the-job-training (OJT) Competencies

Not surprisingly, apart from the set ‘competency standard’, CMO 39. S. 2006, p.34 under

‘Policies and Standards of BSBA’, the ‘Practicum/Work Integrated Learning’ (or the OJT)

subject the CHED generally states that: “The course supports students embarking on their first

applied practicum course in preparation for professional work as business practitioners. The

primary instructional strategies used are self-directed learning, self-assessment, peer teaching

and reflective practice. These concepts are woven together using sound instructional design

methodology. The course is framed around carefully considered course goals and specific,

achievable learning outcomes that focus on the higher-level learning competencies.”

However, one cannot deny that the competences a graduate (Jacobs, 2003) possesses from the

academe may not all be adequate to convince an employer to consider him for a position. This

happens when an employer sees unrelated competences from an applicant during screening

which gives him no chance to be shortlisted or even be considered for a position. With that

said, the possibility of it to be accurate particularly to a course (BSBA-HRDM) which

curriculum includes requiring students to undergo two hundred (200) hours of On-The-Job-

training (OJT) suggests an interesting chance to gauge whether or not the OJT experience of a

student gives him industry-oriented competencies related to a student’s chosen field

particularly the major in HRDM (Nilsson, 2007).



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2.5 ASEAN Integration Competencies Challenges

The ASEAN countries comprise of: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,

Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. During the ASEAN

summit held in the 2003, leaders of these countries resolved to (Yaakub, 2015) establish the

ASEAN Community. The purpose of its establishment is to develop a better place to live in

for everyone which comprises the following pillars: ASEAN Political Security Community,

ASEAN Economic Community, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Among the three

pillars, efforts of the member countries are currently focused on ASEAN Economic

Community (AEC). This type of community envisions to establish a single market and

production base, develop a highly competitive economic region, make an equitable economic

development, and ensure a fully globally integrated economy in member countries. This

means ‘ensuring a free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor’ (Das,

2012).

3. Methodology

3.1 Research Design

This study uses the descriptive method of research which simply describes an existing

phenomenon by quantitatively (using numbers) or qualitatively characterizing an individual

or group (Thomas et al., 2011). This design assesses the nature of existing conditions. For this

study, its purpose is limited to characterizing the findings as it is although later on the study is

able to put forward causal relationships. Particularly, the most part of the research design was

qualitative in nature. As a result, the researcher developed a Competency Enhancement

Program (CEP) for the HRDM students and recommended its implementation. With the

implementation of the developed Competency Enhancement Program (CEP), the researcher

anticipates that as the outcome, it produces excellent, competitive and skillful ABC School

BSBA Human Resource Development Management (BSBA-HRDM) graduates in the future

ready equipped and prepared for the ASEAN integration and ASEAN Economic Community

(AEC).

Since this study covered one major course: Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration major in Human Resource Development Management (BSBA-HRDM) at

ABC Tertiary School, in the College of Business Administration, the purposively chosen

participants were fifteen (15) graduates regardless of gender and marital status but were

already working. For research ethics purposes, the participants’ (both the ‘graduates’ and the

‘HR’) including the university’s real identity were withheld, instead they were labeled as the

following: Participant A; Participant B; Participant C; Participant D; Participant E; Participant

F; Participant G; Participant H; Participant I; Participant J; Participant K; Participant L;



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Participant M; Participant N; Participant O; HR X; HR Y; HR Z; and ABC Tertiary School.

These labels were used all the way from problem 1 to problem 6.

3.2 Research Instrument

The instrument used in this study was the interview guide for the BSBA-HRDM

graduates. The researcher crafted the instrument as he deemed suitable to the content and

context of the study. The sets of questionnaires were divided into four (4) categories based on

the sub-questions found in the statement of the problem. The study made use of both

quantitative and qualitative techniques. It also included the following: qualification of ABC

School BSBA-HRDM graduates for employment; challenges encountered by the graduates;

skills or competencies of the graduates learned and or developed; and competency

enhancement program that will developed in reference to the result of the study.

3.3 Data Gathering Procedure and Analysis

To facilitate the gathering of data, the researcher sought the approval of ABC Tertiary

School in conducting the interview survey to the selected participants. The questionnaires

underwent probing which obtained additional relevant information that helped explain the

answers given by the participants in each item of the instrument in the conduct of the study.

The researcher then asked the consent of the participants before administering the instrument

to each of them. It attained the accuracy on the provided answers at every question asked. The

data gathered were subjected to a qualitative data analysis which involved documentation,

categorizing, examining relationships and presenting of data (Sage, 2013). While the

quantitative data was subjective to quantitative analysis.

3.4 Scoring Procedure

The degree of competencies, as stated in the CMO 39. S.2006 of the Commission on

Higher Education (CHED) under Article 4: Competency Standard, Section 7, the following

rating was used to measure participant’s assessment such as Response scale as: 0 = not

applicable; 1 = definitely disagree; 2 = mostly disagree; 3 = undecided; 4 = mostly agree; and,

5 = definitely agree. Basing on the following scales, the researcher follows the limit of scales

and its description:

Table 1: Scoring Procedure Rating Interval Description

5 4.20 – 5.00 Definitely Agree 4 3.20 – 4.19 Mostly Agree 3 2.20 – 3.19 Undecided 2 1.20 – 2.19 Mostly Disagree 1 0.20 – 1.19 Definitely Disagree 0 0.00 – 0.19 Not Applicable

4. Results and Discussion

4.1 Problem 1

The overall summary of the identified profile of the participants as the research problem

no. 1: “What is the profile of the participants in terms of: age, gender, marital status, entry-



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level job, employment status, length of service, and basic monthly salary/wage?” is Presented

in table 2.

Table 2: Profile of Participants (BSBA-HRDM Graduates)

Participants Age Gender Marital Status

Entry Level Job

Employment Status

Length of Service

Basic Monthly Salary

Assessment

A 20 F Single

Cash Management Unit Contractual

1-5 Months

₱6,000-₱8,000 Underemployed

B 21 F Single Cashier Regular

6 months-up


C 20 F Single Cashier Regular

6 months-up


D 23 M Single Admissions Coordinator Contractual

1-5 months


E 22 M Single Office Assistant Regular

6 months-up

₱6,000-₱8,000 Employed

F 22 M Single Guest Service Associate Regular

6 months-more


G 21 F Single Inventory Clerk Contractual

1-5 months


I 26 M Single Account Manager Contractual

6 months-up


J 23 M Single

Management Trainee in Human Resource (HR Assistant) Regular

6 months-up

₱6,000-₱8,000 Employed

K 27 F Single Sales Clerk Contractual 1-5 months


L 21 F Single Service Advisor Regular

6 months-up


M 28 F Single Entrepreneur Regular

6 months-more

₱12,000-₱14,000 Employed

N 26 F Single Administrative Aide IV Regular

6 months-more


O 23 F Single Entrepreneur Regular

6 months-more

₱12,000-₱14,000 Employed

Among the participants, six or 40 percent fall under range between 22 to 24 years old;

followed by a range of 19 to 21 with 5 participants at 33 percent, and the range 25 to 27 with

three participants at 20 percent and 1 or 7 percent under age range 28 to 30. Among the 15

respondents only 5 or 33 percent were male and 10 or 67 per-cent are female. It suggests that

female participants are more employable than male in offices and particularly in pacifying

and mediating problems that might be encountered by the employers. The data reveals that 15



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or 100 percent of participants are single. This suggests that apart from hiring younger

graduates, employers prefer to employ singles. On the other hand, the finding proposes that

just because none of the participants is married, does not mean the HRDM major is only for

single individuals nor the opposite or conclusively singles are more competent than the

married ones. It is just that none them are married.

On Entry-level jobs of CHED. Data show that among 15 participants, 1 or 7 per-cent is

hired as ‘Management trainee in Human Resource’; 1 or 7 percent is hired at ‘Office

Assistant’; 2 or 13 percent became ‘Entrepreneurs’; and 11 or 73 percent were hired to other

positions not included in the CHED’s ‘Entry-level Job’ list such as Cash management unit

(1); Cashier (2); Admissions Coordinator (1); Guest Service Associate (1); Inventory Clerk

(1); Management Trainee (1); Account Manager (1); Sales Clerk (1); Service Advisor (1);

Administrative Aide IV (1). Based on CHED’s ‘Entry-level Job’ list, there are only 4 out of

15 participants or 27 percent of them are ‘employed’ and 11 or 73 percent are ‘under-

employed’. This can be taken to mean that there are only a few participants found by

employers who possess the industry-oriented competencies for the HR job. The employment

status of the participants. There are 10 or 67 percent among them with ‘regular’ status and

only 5 or 33 percent are ‘contractual’ or probationary in their tenure of work.

Citing from Table 2, not all regular employees (participants) are industry-oriented

competent, but all regular employees enjoy all the company’s Premium benefits including

company owned health care plans and contractual employees do not. But being contractual

does not always mean it motivates them to quit their job and begin looking for HR jobs ––

though it is advisable. Instead, they wait until they become regular and underemployed just

like other participants.

Participant’s length of service in the company where they are employed. There are 4 or 27

percent whose length of service falls under 1 to 5 months and 6 months or more on the other

hand is 11 or 73 percent. Usually, participants under 6 months or more are often associated at

regular employees. Regular employees enjoy company benefits than those under 1 to 5

months or contractual employees. However, in this data, out of 73 percent of participants

under 6 months or more length of service, 1 or 7 percent is not regular but contractual. This

suggests that just because an employee has already spent 6 months working in a company,

this does not mean his length of service – which is 6 months or more – should be viewed as

regularization of status.

Moreover, the finding reveals that majority of the participants (regardless of employment

status and length of service), the amount of ₱6,000 to ₱8,000 pesos as their monthly salary or

wage by 80 percent; followed by ₱12,000 to ₱14,000 pesos with only 2 participants or 13.33

percent and ₱9,000 to ₱11,000 pesos at 6.67 percent and only 1 of them earns ₱9,000 to



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₱11,000 pesos as monthly salary or wage. None of them receives the salary between ₱15,000

to ₱17,000 pesos and ₱18,000 pesos and above as their monthly salary or wage. When

employers see them having industry-oriented competencies in human resource management,

it follows that employers are likely to give them the rightful salary (Bissonnetee, 2013). Thus,

employers take advantage of them for other positions and compensate them with no salary

increase and career growth. As a result, employers take advantage of this opportunity to keep

them in the organization as long as they want with no salary in-crease, career growth. This is

so because their degree in HRDM is no way viewed as related to the job he is being hired for

(Bissonnetee, 2012).

Ultimately, some employers hire younger applicants for no specific reason so long as this

is what other industries are doing (Munnell & Sass, 2009). Some claim that it has more to do

with the span of time for employers to utilize the talents of old-aged employees. Such age

discrimination confronts the 27-30 years old participants as challenges that limit their options

to look for HR jobs. However, there are also some organizations where age issue holds less

weight but the applicants’ industry-oriented competencies particularly in HR jobs. While it is

true that employers tend to hire younger applicants, it is evident that there are also industries

and organizations that view skills or competencies as vital as achieving their organizational

goals. This implies that, the industries’ minimum requirement for jobs is age and

competencies. But for HR jobs particularly, what is required is the maturity of the applicant to

take on the job.

4.2 Problem 2

Participants were assessed how they acquire competencies as specified by the CHED

under (CMO. 39, S. 2006) as ‘Competency Standards’ for graduates of BSBA program.

Moreover, the data below shows the determined level of the reality of the CHED’s

Competency Standards for the degree Bachelor of Science in Business Ad-ministration, major

in Human Resource Development Management. Table 3 presents a summary result of the

assessment of the CHED’s Competency Standards for the BSBA program as a whole. Out of

fourteen (14) competences in the ‘Competency Standards’ 3 or 20 percent of which,

participants 'definitely agree' that their degree in BSBA-HRDM enables them to perform

quality work at 53 percent; understand the concepts and principles of good interpersonal

relations at 53 percent; and develop a wholesome personality at 60 percent.

Among fourteen (14) competences in the ‘Competency Standards’ 8 or 53 percent

participants 'mostly agree' that their degree in BSBA-HRDM enables them to convey ideas

clearly both oral and written in English at 80 percent; prepare, analyze, and evaluate reports,

proposals and concept papers at 73 percent; Demonstrate the values of fairness, transparency,

accountability, hard work, honesty, patience, diligence, innovativeness, and risk-taking at 60



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percent; Apply the principles of the different forms of communication at 53 percent; Develop

the ability to access, retrieve and disseminate information using IT at 73 percent; Participate

actively in business associations and comply with their policies and obligations at 60 percent;

Demonstrate leadership qualities, civic-mindedness, and responsible citizenship at 53 percent;

Conduct a feasibility study and other business research/plan at 67 percent; and Explain the

concepts, approaches, techniques and how salary/wage and overall compensation decisions

are made at 53 percent. However, among fourteen (14) competencies in the ‘Competency

Standards’ 3 or 20 percent participants are 'undecided' that their degree in BSBA-HRDM

enables them to conduct environmental scanning’ at 53.33 percent; ‘Explain the concepts,

approaches, and techniques of environmental conservation’ at 60 percent; ‘Know and

understand the country’s national development thrusts, concerns and socio-economic

indicators’ at 47 percent.

Table 3: Participants’ Assessment on CHED’s Competency Standards

Competency Standard Frequency % Overall Results

Convey ideas clearly both oral and written in English. 12 80 Mostly Agree

Prepare, analyze, and evaluate reports, proposals and concept papers; and explain the

concepts, approaches, techniques on how salary and overall compensation decisions are

made. 11 73 Mostly Agree

Demonstrate the values of fairness, transparency, accountability, hard work, honesty,

patience, diligence, innovativeness, and risk-taking. 9 60 Mostly Agree

Apply the principles of the different forms of communication. 8 53 Mostly Agree

Develop the ability to access, retrieve and disseminate information using IT. 11 73 Mostly Agree

Perform quality work. 8 53 Definitely Agree

Understand the concepts and principles of good interpersonal relations. 8 53 Definitely Agree

Develop a wholesome personality. 9 60 Definitely Agree

Participate actively in business associations and comply with their policies and

obligations. 9 60 Mostly Agree

Demonstrate leadership qualities, civic-mindedness, and responsible citizenship. 8 53 Mostly Agree

Conduct environmental scanning. 5/5 67

Mostly agree/

Un-decided

Conduct a feasibility study and other business research/plan. 10 67 Mostly Agree

Explain the concepts, approaches, and techniques of environmental conservation. 9 60 Undecided

Know and understand the country’s national development thrusts, concerns and socio-

economic indicators. 7 47 Undecided

4.3 Problem 3

The data presented below determined challenges that each of the participants encountered

and how the respondent’s level of competency counter challenges when searching for

employment and performance worked as employees. To realize this objective, the statement

of the problem is broken into details that form three sub-questions:

a. There are thousands of possible careers, why do you want to follow your HR

career?

Participants’ responses included:



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‘I want the course’;

‘I want to handle people’;

‘I realized the importance of its work in any establishments’;

‘It has many opportunities after’;

‘finishing the course’;

‘to stay away from accounting and computation subjects’.

The data show that every participant has his/her own way of pursuing their career

particularly in the HR field. The majority of the participants at 27 percent have confidence

that they want this course and optimistic at 27 percent that it has more opportunities of work

in this city when they graduate from the course. 20 percent realize the importance of its work

in any establishments.

b. Tell me about a situation of two that demonstrated your confidence to pursue your

HR career?

Participants’ responses include:

‘I have the knowledge’;

‘I have the confidence because of my experience in OJT’;

‘It is my choice of work’;

‘I want application of work from what I have learned’;

‘I can do the job’;

‘The job is for me’; and

‘I can work in a nice office’

Data reveals show participants’ assessment on the question ‘…why do you want to follow

your HR career?’. Findings show that OJT experience significantly translates participants to

realization which influence their decision to follow an HR career. Though participants have

different realization, but unexpectedly they have a com-mon situation or two that

‘demonstrated their confidence to pursue their HR career’, their OJT experience.

c. Tell me what challenges you have encountered when you were searching for HR

jobs?


‘No challenges’;

‘Experience is required’;

‘Psychology’;

‘graduates viewed as rival for the position’;

‘Too many applicants’;

‘Underestimated applicants’; and

‘Competencies between schools’.



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When participants started their job hunting, like anybody else, they too encountered

challenges in landing a company for HR position. As they identify, one of the major

challenges they encounter is the psychology graduates viewed as rivals for the HR position at

33 percent followed by 20 percent in equal distribution the fact that there are too many

applicants competing for the position and experience as a requirement. Unfortunately, one

hard challenge they encounter is they get underestimated that they don’t the ability to read

human behavior during conducting job interviews. And at 7 percent in equal distribution

believe that one of the challenged involve competences between schools where applicants

graduate from industries view as a minimum requirement; and the one who landed on an HR

position job says there was not a challenge at all.

d. What did you do to counter these challenges?


‘None;

‘Just remain to be me’;

‘I gave my best’;

‘Trust my experience’; and

‘Try to find other jobs’.

Of all the challenges they have encountered when searching for a job, the participants were

asked what they did they do to counter the challenges. Most of the participants at 40 percent

chose to do nothing to counter the challenges. Some at 27 per-cent have confidence of their

experience they have acquired during their OJT. Others at 20 percent choose just to remain

themselves, and the rest gave their best and found another company to get a job at 7 percent in

equal distribution. This implies that apart from having their own way of countering their

challenges, participants’ behavior in this type of situation shows their confidence and

unwavering hope to try another race towards landing on jobs.

e. As an employee, what are challenges you have encountered in the work-place?


‘Management problems’,

‘Dull-headed employees’,

‘Rude co-workers & employer’, and

‘Competencies’.

Apart from the challenges that participants encountered when searching for a job, but also

at their workplaces. Participants were assessed as to the challenges they have encountered in

the workplace. Nearly half at 40 percent of the applicants indicate most of the challenges they

encounter in the workplace has more to do with dealing management problems; rude-



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coworkers and employer at 33 percent; dull-headed employees at 20 percent; and

competencies among co-workers at 7 percent.

f. What are some HR concepts and principles you have learned in college you used to

counter these challenges?


Keep calm;

‘Customer service’;

‘Work right’;

‘Be professional’; and

‘Be nice and good’.

Participants were assessed as to HR concepts and principles they have learned in college

that they use to counter the challenges they have encountered the workplace. Different

‘concepts and principles’ participants use to counter workplace challenges: Management

problem, rude co-workers, dull headed employees, and competencies. Human Resource

concepts and principles learned in school may counter some challenges by simply keeping

calm all the time by 40 percent of the participants; always bear in mind customer service at 27

percent; being professional 20 percent; work right 13 percent; and be nice to all customers,

co-employees and to the head of office at 7 percent.

g. Please describe how effective were these concepts and principles to counter these

challenges?


‘It satisfies the expectation of the head of the office’;

‘It rated the participant’; and

‘No comment’.

HR concepts and principles (keep calm 40 percent; customer service 27 percent; be

professional 20 percent; work right 13 percent; and be nice and good 7 percent) that

participants used were assessed as to its effectiveness to counter the challenges (Management

problem 40 percent; rude co-workers & employer 33 percent; dull headed employee 20

percent; and competencies 7 percent) they have encountered in the workplace. Findings show

that the HR concepts and principles they used to counter challenges in the workplace have to

do with satisfying the expectations of the head of office which has the highest effect in

countering the challenges met at work at 40 percent. Some just don’t give comments or no

answer at 33 percent, and some simply rated the participants at 27 percent.



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4.4 Problem 4

Participants were asked to assess as to what skills or competencies they have learned and

or developed in their workplaces relative to what they have learned in college. To realize this

objective, the statement of the problem is broken into details that form three sub-questions:

a. Please tell me some of the competencies you have learned and developed in your

present employment in relation to what you have learned in college?


‘Demonstrate fairness’;

‘Demonstrate leadership skills’;

‘Develop the sense of accountability’;

‘Develop patience towards customers’;

‘Perform quality work’;

‘Demonstrate the value of quality work’;

‘Demonstrate the value of hard work’;

‘Demonstrate the value of honesty’;

‘Demonstrate the value of innovativeness’;

‘Demonstrate the value of risk-taking in decision making’;

‘Demonstrate the value of diligence’;

‘Assist in the resolution of specific disciplinary actions’;

‘Understand the concepts and principles of HBO’; and

‘Perform total quality work’

Participants were assessed to evaluate whether or not there are some competences learned

and developed in their workplaces relative to what they have learned in college. Among

fourteen (14) competences identified, four (4) of which participants perfectly agree on:

Demonstrate fairness; Develop the sense of accountability; Per-form quality work; and

Demonstrate the value of diligence at 100 percent. Other competences garnered more than

half of the whole population of the participants: Demonstrate the value of hard work at 93

percent; Demonstrate the value of honesty at 87 percent; Assist in the resolution of specific

disciplinary actions 87 percent; Develop patience towards customers 80 percent; Perform total

quality work 73 percent; Demonstrate the value of quality work 67 percent; Demonstrate the

value of innovativeness 67 percent; Understand the concepts and principles of HBO 67

percent; Demonstrate the value of risk-taking in decision making 60 percent; and

Demonstrate leadership skills 47 percent.

b. What are some of the competencies you have learned and developed in your present

organizations that are not related to what you have learned in college?




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‘More patience’;

‘Work harder’;

‘Open–mindedness’;

‘Open to changes’; and

‘Strict adherence to the one in authority’.

Participants were assessed to evaluate whether or not there are some competences learned

and developed in their present organizations that are not related to what they have learned in

college. Among the five (5) competences identified, three (3) of which participants perfectly

agree on at 100 percent: Strict adherence to the one in authority; Open to changes; and Open-

mindedness. The other two (2) competences include: Work hard and work smart at 60

percent; and More patience at 40 percent.

c. Describe to me some of the competencies you have learned in college that are not

applicable in your workplace.


‘Everything is applicable’;

‘How to deal with the attitude of the workers’;

‘Preparing reports’;

‘Knowledge management’;

‘None, nothing as I have observed’; and

‘Some were not taught’.

Participants were assessed on competences learned in college that are not applicant in their

workplaces. At 93 percent participants maintain that everything is applicable. While others

identified ‘how to deal with the attitude of the workers’ at 67 percent; ‘knowledge

management’ at 53 percent; preparing reports at 33 percent; ‘some were taught’ at 13 percent;

and ‘none, nothing as I have observed’ at 7 per-cent. The finding suggests that majority of

participants are confident that almost every competency they acquired in college are

applicable to their workplaces. But, competencies such as knowledge management, preparing

reports and dealing with coworkers’ attitudes, which participants claim to have no application

in the work-place are the weaknesses of the organizations where they belong in. This implies

that the participants serve as an asset in these organizations that stand ready to confront these

weaknesses when needed.

4.5 Problem 5

Based on the findings, the Competency Enhancement Program that can be developed for

the students of Business Administration Majoring Human Resource Development

Management must aim at satisfying the both Behavioral Competences and Technical

Competences:



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Behavioral Competencies: Competencies Learned and Developed in Present

Organizations not Related to Competences Learned in College include following:

Demonstrate patience towards customers – internal & external; Demonstrate the

value of hard work; Demonstrate flexibility; Strict adherence to the one in authority;

Demonstrate resilience and tenacity; Strict adherence to the one in authority; and

Explain the concepts, approaches, techniques and how salary/wage and overall

compensation and benefits decisions are made.

Technical Competencies: Recruitment & Selection; Induction and Orientation;

Employee Compensation; Employee Premium benefits: SSS; and Employee Premium

benefits: PhilHealth. Below is the Competency Enhancement Program in matrix of

competences developed in present organizations not learned in college.

4.6 Problem 6

Based on then findings, some are proposed by the participants (graduates and HR) for the

improvement of the curriculum:

Industry–Oriented Competency Based Classroom Instruction.

Industry–Oriented Competency targeted On-the-Job-Training (OJT) for HRDM

majors.

Use of HRDM Competency Enhancement Program in classroom instructions.

The emphasis of CHED’s Competency Standard as a general competency standard of

all BSBA majors in classroom instruction.

The proposed competencies for the improvement of the curriculum aims to help the areas

in the CMO 39. S. 2006. Specifically, the following:

CHED’s fourteen (14) Competency Standards for the BSBA program in general

under Art. 5, Sec. 7.

CHED’s Entry Level Job under Art. 3, Sec. 5, Subsection 5.1 ‘Specific Professions,

Careers, Occupation or Trades: Human Resource Development Management’.

The CHED’s policy on OJT as part of the curriculum of BSBA particularly in BSBA-

HRDM under Art. 5, Sec. 13 ‘Curriculum: Professional Courses and Art. 6

‘Practicum/Work Integrated Learning: Course specification.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

Employers prefer to hire fresh graduates regardless of experience who are single and

females but younger regardless of the employment position at the following entry-level jobs:

Management trainee in human resource; office assistant. While the rest of the participants are

underemployed, yet they secured regular positions with monthly salary range between ₱6,000

to ₱8,000 and they qualified for employment in terms of the 14-competency standard.

Evidently, non-HR related OJT, rendered majority of the participants less competent in



244


handling challenges which is why majority of them ended up getting hired to non-HR related

jobs. Though participants developed skills and competencies that are related to what they

have learned in college, yet developing the Competency Enhancement Program (CEP)

become significant for business administration students majoring in human resource

development management in order to help the school produce more competent BSBA-HRDM

graduates. Also, based on the findings, the researcher proposed policies to the CHED for the

improvement of the curriculum include the following: Industry–Oriented Competency Based

Classroom Instruction; industry–oriented competency targeted On-the-Job-Training (OJT) for

HRDM majors; use of HRDM Competency Enhancement Program in classroom instructions;

emphasis of CHED’s Competency Standard as a general competency standard of all BSBA

majors in classroom instruction.

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Abstractglobalbizresearch.org/files/1-7005_ijrtl_rabel-catayoc...‘Competency Standard’ designed by the (CHED) under CMO 39, S. 2006 for BSBA program, majority of the participants