Framework for ASEAN 2015:
A Roadmap for Schools
John Addy S. Garcia, PhD
De La Salle University
ASEAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY 2015
ASEAN Economic Community
10 countries, single regional economic market by 2015
One Community
Working together rather than competing with each other
Strong emerging market of 600M people
Regional Cooperation Free flow of goods,
services, investment capital and skilled labor
Professional mobility
Free Trade
ASEAN 2015 Benefits (Runckel, 2012)
ASEAN ECOMIC
COMMUNITY 2015
Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
BENEFITS
regional cooperation improve efficiency more attractive than individual countries
emerging market focusing on SMEs tourism opportunity internationalization of health care
Competitiveness Assessment and
Roadmap Action Agenda
National Consultation Workshop on a
Competitive Philippines in ASEAN 2015
(DOST/NCRP)
POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR
PHILIPPINE
COMPETITIVENESS
Professional Competitiveness
(PRC)
Roadmap Action Agenda
ASEAN 2015 and Philippine Schools
Opportunities for growth
Challenges of competitiveness
Roadmap to 2015
Inter-country agreements
Philippine policy initiatives and
reforms
Education Sector action
Competitiveness of Filipino Professionals
(PRC initiative)
Competitiveness of graduates of Philippine
Educational Institutions
Keypoints (condensed from Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Global Competitiveness of the Philippines
Philippine Professionals and Global Market
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
Assessing Competitiveness
Assessing Competitiveness among Filipino Professionals
Competitiveness Issues Facing Selected Professions:
Engineering, Accountancy, Nursing
Competitiveness Roadmap
Professional Competitiveness
Government
Private Sector
Professionals
Academe
Global Competitiveness of the Philippines
Key Directions (Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications/Action
Promote export of services
Comply with bilateral, regional, and international commitments to facilitate inflow of foreign services and services providers (inbound/outbound)
Priority Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) - ASEAN
Awareness of key
priorities of the profession
and the government
Strengthen linkages with
government regulatory
bodies and professional
organizations
Philippine Professionals and Global Market
Key Directions (Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications/Action
PRC highlights the need
for more data-driven
and evidence-based
assessment of the global competitiveness of
Filipino professionals
Curricular reform
responsive to global
competitiveness
assessment
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
Key Directions (Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications/Action
10-country integrated economy by 2015
Trade (customs modernization standard and conformity and services liberalization),
investments,
agriculture,
consumer protection, and
ratification of transportation agreements.
Looking at ASEAN as a
market (e.g., international
student enrollment,
employment opportunities
for graduates)
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
ASEAN FTA Implications
ASEAN+6
ASEAN-China
ASEAN-Japan
ASEAN-Korea
ASEAN-Australia and New
Zealand
ASEAN-India
Looking beyond OECD,
Middle East, and US
Aligning with ASEAN+6
standards and market
demands
Establishing linkages with
ASEAN+6 Education and
Industry Partners
Assessing Competitiveness of the
Services Sector
Key Points (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Services play a vital role in national growth, development, and job creation
Accounts for 50% of economic activity, and employment
Growth in services sector is positively correlated with developing countries transition to middle income status
Assessing Competitiveness Among
Filipino Professionals Key Directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications/Action
To know
where the strengths and weaknesses of the professions
Where and how international business opportunities might be maximized
How defensive their international posture needs to be and why
Parallel assessment of
quality of graduates vis-a-
vis (local, national, regional,
international) competitors
Assessing Competitiveness Among
Filipino Professionals Key directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications
To know
What needs to be done to
get the Philippine domestic
house in order fast
(including the tertiary
education system)
Implement CHED, PRC
guidelines
Conduct competitiveness
assessment of graduates
(tracer studies, exit
interviews, industry
FGDs)
Factors affecting Services competitiveness (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
1. Endowments, human capital (talent, education, skills,
ideas, culture of customer focus)
2. Investment in intangible assets
3. Enabling digital infrastructure
4. Quality of institutions
5. Efficiency of domestic regulation
6. Connectedness with the International Market
7. Services business stakeholder consultation
8. Policy focus
Factors affecting Services competitiveness
Key Points (Drake-Brockman, 2012) Implications/action
Services are more skills-intensive than other sector
Creating environment for nurturing talent, skills and ideas are critical in attracting international work
Relies heavily on innovation
Developing global mindset among graduates
Curricular programs responsive to both local and international demands
Focusing on developing core competencies (talents, skills, ideas)
Emphasizing innovation
Factors affecting Services competitiveness (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Local Competitiveness International Competiveness
Whether supply of skills is sufficient, relative to demand
Getting the balance between ensuring high professional standards and meeting market demand
Whether new professional skill set is becoming necessary
Whether local
professionals can attract
foreign clients and what
level of value-add services
Whether Philippine
professional offer
professional value for
money, and in what
categories of practice
Competitiveness in simple terms
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Professional
Competitiveness as a
function of
Numbers
Quality
Quality assurance
Practice
Continuing education
Competitiveness Assessment Criteria (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Market conditions and trends
Skill shortages can suggest graduates are in-demand, hence competitive
Core competency standards
Technical standards above or at par with regional best practice
Quality assurance
Strong international confidence in domestic regulatory systems
Salary/fee expectations
Prices not higher than regional average
Language skills and personal attributes
International clients are attracted by communication skills, flexibility, adaptability, and initiative
PRC Professional Services
Competitiveness Assessment (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Engineering (Civil, Geodetic, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, & Electronic)
Architecture
Accountancy
Medicine
Dentistry
Nursing
Competitiveness Assessment:
Engineering
Competitiveness Issues: Engineering
Competency
At par or higher than most
ASEAN economies
Top markets: Singapore,
Malaysia, Brunei
Less informed about:
Indonesia and Thailand
Significantly under
informed: Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Vietnam
CPE not mandatory
Quality Assurance
Not yet outcomes-based
education compliant
Not yet a signatory to the
Washington Accord
No Philippine engineers
listed among the ASEAN
Registered Engineers
Competitiveness Issues: Engineering
Personal Attributes
Competitive in English-
speaking markets
Has reputation for being
highly flexible, fast learners,
multi-taskers, able to fit-in
in any team (including
supervisory levels)
Can rise to meet work-
place challenges
International Value for
Money
Salary and fee-level
expectations at the low end
of the ASEAN-6 market
Competitive edge in high
value ASEAN market
(Singapore and Malaysia)
Competitiveness Issues: Engineering
Domestic and
International Skills
Shortages
Local skills shortage, in
both rural and urban areas
Engineering faculty skills
shortage
Varying degree of
awareness of
competitiveness among
professionals
Engineering competitiveness
suffers due to absence of:
Well-equipped university
laboratories
Strong R&D environment
and of any articulated
policy on innovation
Limitations on foreign
equity
Competitiveness Assessment:
Accountancy
Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy
Competency
High competency standards
Adopts international
standards
High marketable profession;
popular college course
Not threatened by foreign
professionals
Entry into international job
markets
PRB upgrading standards of
accountancy teachers
External accreditation of
accountancy schools
Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy
Quality Assurance
not yet compliant IFAC
obligations
initiatives to develop and
improve local quality
assurance systems in the
profession
Adoption of international
standards and code of
ethics
Personal attributes
Familiarity with US, British,
and Japanese system
Regional hub for talent
development
Lack of skills to market the
profession internationally
Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy Employment in BPO sector,
but at lower levels
Emerging employment in
Knowledge-Process
Outsourcing (KPO)
Value for Money
Salary and fee level
expectation are
competitive across ASEAN
Skills shortages
Skills shortages in the
provinces
Underemployment
High staff turnover affected
by accreditation, workload,
and seasonal availability of
temporary staff
Competitiveness Assessment:
Nursing
Competitiveness Issues: Nursing
Skills shortages
High local unemployment
and underemployment
Overseas employment due
to Migration and not Trade
Limited preferred
destinations
Limited overseas
employment due to
depressed global economic
climate
Large ageing population in
OECD countries provides
high medium term work
opportunities
Lack of local funding to hire
more nurses in hospitals
Lack of nursing teachers
Inclusion of employment
for nurses in trade
agreements with ASEAN,
Japan and Australia
Competitiveness Issues: Nursing
Value for Money
Reluctant to go to lower
wage destinations or
alternative markets
Few work at an
entrepreneurial level
Personal attributes
Uninterested in
management positions in
offshore markets
Monetary consideration
had negative impact on the
perception of the
profession
Competitiveness Issues: Nursing
Competency and Quality
Assurance
Updated curriculum
Credentialing programme
for career pathways
Amendment of law
Nursing board actively
monitored quality of
nursing education, closed
80+ substandard schools
Competitiveness Roadmap (Garelli, 2011)
an attempt to describe
and assess the main issues that will affect the world
competitiveness landscape
over a specific time period
subjective assessment which
aims to bring some
coherence to the multitude of issues that are
said to be having an impact
sooner or later on the
competitiveness landscape
Competitiveness Roadmaps
PRC mandated all regulatory boards
to prepare and disseminate
competitiveness roadmaps for all
regulated professions
Current State
Action Agenda
Competitiveness Goals
Competitiveness Roadmaps for Schools
Is it important and practical for HEIs
to conduct and disseminate
competitiveness roadmaps, similar to
what PRC requires from regulated
professions?
Current State
Action Agenda
Competitiveness Goals
Competitiveness Assessment and
Roadmap Action Agenda
National Consultation Workshop on a
Competitive Philippines in ASEAN 2015
(DOST/NCRP)
POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR
PHILIPPINE
COMPETITIVENESS
Professional Competitiveness
(PRC, APO, CHED, HEIs)
Roadmap Action Agenda
Roadmap action agenda (Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Education and Skills Issue
R&D Innovation, Knowledge-Infrastructure
Policy and Regulatory Focus
Promoting and Facilitating PHL capability
globally and regionally
Action Agenda for
the Profession
Action Agenda to
prepare Professionals
Investment Climate & Trade Issues
Roadmap Action Agenda
How to boost the availability and
expertise of the professional
practitioners to ensure they are
positioned to take advantage of
regional and global business
opportunities?
How can QA frameworks be
established?
Which workforce issues should
be addressed?
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Roadmap Action Agenda
What could be done to boost the
ability of PHL professional
services sector to increasingly
improve productivity through
innovation?
How could a higher level of
collaboration be encouraged between
the private sector, academia, and
government agencies?
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Roadmap Action Agenda
Is a higher level of support
needed from the policy or
other regulatory institutions to
help improve the professions
access to global or regional
opportunities?
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Roadmap Action Agenda
What might be done to
improve the professions
branding either
domestically or
internationally?
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Road Map Action Agenda
Funding and investment
Implementation of
ASEAN MRAs
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)
Professional Competitiveness
Government
Private Sector
Professionals
Academe
Discussion Points
To what extent will the University initiate, participate, or
contribute to the challenge of preparing globally
competitive graduates/professionals?
What action agenda can be taken in relation to:
Assessment of competitiveness of graduates
Professional education
Advocacy for quality assurance
Promotion of innovation
Addressing the challenges of global competitiveness?
References
Department of Science and Technology, Republic of the Philippines. (2011). Consultation/Workshop on a competitive Philippines in ASEAN 2015.
Drake-Brockman, J. (2012). Rapid Assessment Report on the Competitiveness of Regulated Professions Covered by the ASEAN MRAs. Professional Regulation Commission: Manila, Philippines
Garelli, S. (2011). The competitiveness roadmap: 2011-2050 (The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011). Retrieved from http://www.imd.org/research/publications/wcy/upload/roadmapPrint_A4.pdf
Runckel, C.W. (2012). Asia opportunities: ASEAN Economic Community 2015. Retrieved from http://www.business-in-asia.com/asia/asean_economic_community.html