UNC prexy sees opportunity in merging

By Juan Escandor Jr. and Jason B. Neola NAGA CITY---With the merging of Ayala Corporation’s education arm and the education sector of the Yuchengco Group of Companies, the president of the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) sees greater opportunities for its educational programs. UNC Pres. Alfredo Ayala said that merging of the holding companies “has a lot of opportunities for synergies” in terms of assets and resources even though the schools and universities under each company will maintain its independence and brand. The Yuchengco Group of Companies own the Mapua University, a leady private engineering and technical university world ranked QS-3 star university. QS rank is rating system that provide detailed look of the institution. For example, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is ranked 1 in 2018. Ayala said the merging of the companies which will make Mapua University a sister university of the UNC would opportunity to open program here. “For example, the Mapua University could offer courses at the UNC and exchange best practices while the faculties here could study in the sister university,” he said. Ayala said other opportunities include participating in athletic and academic competitions. “Everything we are doing goes back to the vision of our founder Dr. Jaime Hernandez as well as the second-generation his daughter Dolores Sison with its battle “not of school, but life” that capsulizes what we are all about,” he said. This year the UNC is celebrating its 70th anniversary as the first university in Bicol. Ayala said his team promises a nurturing environment for students as they target to produce top performers in board and bar examinations. “Our overarching promise is you will make it in a nurturing environment,” he said. Ayala said with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the UNC they would highlight every month different aspects of brand promise of nurturing. He said the tagline is “nurturing tomorrow for all.” Ayala said they have now Student Value Added (SVA) which is the re-gearing academic programs and offerings so that skills needed to succeed in the real world are provided. He said the UNC offers Professional Employment Program which offered at the end of the senior year which include English immersion, technology skills as well as job simulation. “We are bringing OJT (on-the-job training) into the classroom and other technology to do that to give them confidence when they undergo interviews,” Ayala said. He said the program which was fired in Manila that ensured that 90 percent of the graduates get a good job and on average with starting salaries 50 percent higher than the others. Best practices, approaches Following are some of the progresses achieved by UNC as it journeys towards the achievement of academic leadership in the Bicol Region by means of innovative academic programs that enable students to get the skills, training and values to have the best possible careers: Through its Professional Employment Program (PEP), UNC continues to deliver compelling results. The program, which is designed in collaboration with the school’s key employer partners, is a last-semester college program that fosters strong English skills, critical thinking, and practical application of technology. It is designed to place graduating students in a working professional environment to enhance their potential for immediate employment. School year 2016-17 allowed UNC PEP group to achieve almost 90% employment within 90 days with average wages almost double that of the average graduate. They went to work in BPI, Sutherland Global Services, Ford Philippines, iBEX Manila, Telus Manila, among others. UNC, in SY 2017-18, has piloted its Culminating Business Project (CxP) for seniors in Business, HRM, Accountancy, Computer Studies, and Arts and Sciences. The project is similar to PEP as it provides a simulation of the real world and boosts employability. In 2018 and 2019, UNC will implement its English Immersion Environment (EIE) for both freshmen and seniors. The university continues to improve its board examination performance with its recent 2 board placers in Licensure Examinations for Teachers and Master Plumber Examination, which increased UNC’s cumulative total over the years to 156 board topnotchers. “We have also consistently surpassed the national overall board passing rates from 2014 to 2017 in Civil Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Accountancy, Secondary and Elementary Education, and Nursing. In first-taker board passing rates, UNC listed 59.81% in civil engineering; 57.73%in electronics engineering; 51.94%in accountancy; 65.05% in secondary education; 65.51% in elementary education; and 95.84% in nursing,” Ayala said. The LINC (Learning with Industry Collaboration) Senior High School program, which now has more than 1,500 students, continues to grow, making UNC one of the largest and most progressive senior high schools in Camarines Sur. LINC offers English mastery, a technology-powered learning experience, and rigorous preparations for challenging adult learning in college. Also, if learners want or need to seek employment to make through college, LINC has a program and a process to support this – so they will make it in a nurturing environment. With report by Jason B. Neola