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MANILA, Philippines — The Mapúa University E.T. Yuchengco School of Business, School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and School of Medicine collaborate with Arizona State University (ASU) in priming its students with global, innovative quality of education and relevant modern skills needed in the modern workplace.
A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report says that about 68% of Filipino workers need training to meet evolving skill demands as 67% of organizations surveyed in the Philippines cited skills gap in the labor market.
Julia Rosen, vice president for global academic initiatives at ASU, recently visited the Philippines to discuss a related topic, “Riding The Wave: How Universities Can Thrive in a Rapidly Changing World,” and shared thoughts on the evolving skills needed and how the Business and Health Sciences students at the Mapúa University benefit from a collaboration with ASU.
“Universities must continue to look at the major trends that we are seeing in both the education and the workforce. Then for each of these major trends, speak about how universities can not only react to the trends, but flourish, adapt and grow because of them. We're seeing upheaval in technology and in education, as well as [how] technology is disrupting the global workforce,” Rosen began.
“Universities need to be ahead of the technology and not wait for other people to define how it's being used. At ASU, like Mapúa University, [we are] in the business of providing unparalleled career opportunities for students and impacting our local region which, in the Filipino context, is nation-building,” she explained.
The dual-degree pathways between ASU at the E.T. Yuchengco School of Business at Mapúa University were launched last year. These pathways enable Filipino students to earn dual degrees and pursue accelerated master’s pathways, but also to gain exposure to global learning. Students can earn a degree from Mapúa University in the Philippines and a degree from ASU, which can be completed online or at the ASU campus in the US. Rosen believes this program impacts the employability of the students.
“I think both in their time in the Philippines and certainly in their time in America, there are truly a wide set of experiences that students can leverage to help them become more employable. For example, at ASU, we have a number of opportunities for students to conduct research, even as an undergraduate. We also have a full set of entrepreneurial programs, available funding, and mentors to help students develop their entrepreneurial skills, which can serve them whether they return and start a new company or are employed in a larger company. Having that entrepreneurial mindset will make them more competitive and more effective in their future workplaces,” she says. Rosen added that developing an entrepreneurial mindset isn’t just confined to their Business students, it is also applied to the other programs, including Health Sciences.
“We believe there are people with an entrepreneurial mindset who understand what the market challenges are in every single area. A nursing student might see a problem in healthcare and then invent some new product, service or app to address that,” Rosen explains.
In an earlier interview, Mapúa University president Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo expressed similar optimism for the Mapúa degree programs with pathways to ASU.
“We believe that pursuing a double degree at Mapúa University and ASU will not only transform our students' lives but also contribute to the advancement of education in the Philippines as a whole,” Maestrecampo said.
In addition, the collaboration between Mapúa University and ASU in Business and Health Sciences adapts to technology trends and incorporates these in the curriculum. “In our online programs, we have 200 different technologies that are embedded in our online courses,” noted Rosen.
The collaboration promises that employers can expect their graduates to be ready to work from day one.
“By the time our students graduate, they would have been exposed to applied projects. They would have understood how to work in teams and work with people that come from different disciplines. They have curriculum that is based on real world challenges—all of that collectively might be called soft skills and that is the competitive advantage,” the ASU executive stressed.
“I would argue that hard or technical skills get you in the door. But what gets you promoted is your ability to navigate other people, to work in teams, to convince colleagues, to get behind your idea. You need technical skills, but you also absolutely need soft skills. And through how the curriculum is designed, the students will have that exposure and that experience,” Rosen said.
The collaboration with Arizona State University has been expanded to include the College of Business, College of Nursing and College of Health Sciences at Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna and Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao. This partnership is designed to address the global need for innovative, globally ready, and progressive education.
By working together, we aim to provide an educational experience that prepares our students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Both institutions are actively exploring more ways to bridge the skills gap and enhance the employability of graduates.
Learn more about Mapúa University at https://www.mapua.edu.ph/.
Editor’s Note: This press release is sponsored by Mapúa University. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
