AIITAFI and the Guidance and Counseling Center sponsored the first-ever “MSU-IIT Employers’ Forum” on March 1, 2010 at the MSU-IIT Boardroom. The activity aimed to solicit feedback and criticisms from employers in various companies in Iligan City, who are currently employing IITian graduates.
Participating companies were Mindanao Sanitarium Hospital, Mercy Community Hospital, PILMICO Foods Corporation, Iligan Cement Corp., TESDA, MSU-Naawan, MSU-IIT Multipurpose Cooperative, and People Management Association of the Phils.(PMAP). They were represented by their respective officers from the Human Resource Departments.
Furthermore, the activity was also attended by representatives from MSU-IIT as well, who served as panel members in the said forum. Present, on MSU-IIT’s behalf were Chancellor Dr. Marcelo P. Salazar; Prof. Darwin Manubag, AITAFII president; college deans and assistant deans; and the Guidance Counselors from each college.
At the open forum, representatives discussed the graduates’ performances as applicants and employees. Majority of them expressed impressive feedback on the graduates’ mental ability and technical skills. Each participating companies took turns to speak and address issues that involved the graduates. Accordingly, our alumni were very capable of doing their jobs and handling specific tasks with less supervision. Some employers stressed that some of our graduates however, seemed to lack certain skills and found to be inefficient in communication- both in oral and written, and in their ability to relate well with others. Truly it is to their disadvantage especially when they undergo job interviews or when they make regular written reports once they are hired. IIT administrators readily responded and addressed some of the issues raised by the employers. Nevertheless, each criticisms and feedback were noted by Dr. Salazar, together with the deans and assistant deans from each college, specially from the College of Engineering (COE).
In the discussions, the representatives from the industries, expressed that the COE graduates still have remained to be the most desired and sought after applicants according to the majority of the employers both in Iligan City and neighboring places.
Main speaker who talked on Trends on People Management was PMAP Iligan Chapter President, Mr. Joseph M. Baguio. Members of the Octava Chorale Society rendered and showcased their singing prowess. Prof. Darwin Manubag, President of AIITAFI, facilitated the open forum while Prof. Venus Parmisana hosted the event. Successfully initiated by AIITAFI and the Guidance Office, the forum certainly was not the last since it was just the beginning of another milestone for MSU-IIT and the different companies toward common goals for IIT graduates.