Mapúa Malayan Digital College (MMDC), the premier digital-first, fully online college in the Philippines, together with Concentrix, a leading global provider of customer experience solutions and technology, are collaborating for an exciting Work & Study Program that aims to address the Filipino labor market’s problems on unemployment, improve quality of education and work-life balance most especially for working students, and produce more skilled professionals.
According to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released in February 2024, there are 1.60 million unemployed Filipinos as of December 2023. The talent shortage and high unemployment rates in the country are due to several factors such as poor education system, lack of decent job opportunities, and lack of relevant skills.
However, the IT-BPM Association of the Philippines states that by 2028, the tech industry hopes to create 2.5 million new jobs in the country. So far they are on track in hitting their goal of creating more jobs in the past 4 years.
With these new opportunities in the labor market, the Philippines needs to grow the talent pool of qualified professionals, and MMDC and Concentrix aim to do just that.
Work & Study Program to empower working students and produce highly skilled professionals
“Working students in the country have been underserved for years,” says Hazel Banas, Vice President for People Solutions at Concentrix. “The focus has been on basic education and traditional college models that we believe don’t serve the needs of our working students. We need more people in the workforce and the way to produce that, to contribute to the economy and the country’s growth, is to produce more professionals.”
MMDC and Concentrix will work together to provide part-time jobs and part-time college education programs to Filipinos who are ready to commit to a brighter future through its Work and Study Program. The program caters to those who are interested in upskilling and developing soft and hard skills that will support their growth and become more qualified professionals. It was designed to make sure that non-graduate workers will be able to work and earn enough income to be able to go back to school and complete their degrees.
Engr. Dennis Tablante, MMDC’s Executive Director, says, “MMDC is here to support working students who want to take up a career in IT and Business and set them up for success. We offer flexible schedules to cater to those who have more than enough on their plate but want to step up their careers and current skill sets. We have top industry leaders to guide our students to become highly equipped professionals who can contribute to the country’s economic growth.”
Tonichi Parekh, Concentrix’s Vice President for Client Success, states that Concentrix is dedicated to help their current and future employees reach their goals for a brighter future together with MMDC. She says, “We are tech-led and human-empowered, so we decided to partner with MMDC so that we could also empower our employees, we call them game changers, so that they could also live up to their dream of finishing their school while they are working. It changes the dynamics a little bit when the employer offers to their employees that they can actually study and finish their college degrees.”
The Work & Study Program is open to incoming new employees of Concentrix who will enroll in relevant degree programs in MMDC. Qualified applicants are offered part-time jobs and given a 60-75% working time or 20-30 hours a week and 3-4 subjects per term at MMDC to allow them to manage their time effectively at work, school, and at home. Concentrix will also offer a Salary Deduction Program and offer to pay the matriculation fees per term to eligible part-time employees. The Work & Study Program also includes a load limit program, 3 to 4 units per term, and a mentorship program to help students succeed in their chosen program and career path.
Here are a few important details about the Work & Study program:
- The pilot program will be available at Concentrix Ayala North Exchange, Makati and Nuvali, Sta. Rosa offices. The role available to interested applicants is Customer Service Advisor.
- Interested applicants must apply in person and visit any of the 2 offices.
- Applicants must pass the Concentrix hiring process and if hired are required to work from either the Ayala North Exchange, Makati and Nuvali, Sta. Rosa offices.
- Start of employment is on October 1, 2024 and will be invited to enroll at MMDC.
MMDC and Concentrix will pave the way to provide opportunities to make commitments easy to balance, suitable for the lifestyle of a working student. Hopefully, this will give more working students the drive to upskill, pursue their studies and become highly skilled professionals that will help boost the country’s economy in the years to come.
If you’re looking for a career with Concentrix, head to their Ayala North Exchange Makati or Nuvali, Sta. Rosa offices to apply as a Customer Service Advisor and get a chance to be a part of the Work & Study program. If getting your college degree online is your next step, applications for MMDC’s school year 2024 to 2025 are ongoing. Term 1 will start on August 19, 2024. Enrollment ends on August 31, 2024. Apply now. To make college education more accessible to all Filipinos, MMDC also offers the Asenso Scholarship to incoming working students. This gives a 36% discount on tuition fees and can be enjoyed until graduation. MMDC also offers financial aid programs with BukasPH and GCash to support working students in the country.
