First of all, can you explain to our readers what an Industry Partner actually is?
An Industry Partner is essentially any bonafide company or organization that the College collaborates with. Our collaboration can include student internships, faculty immersion, scholarship grants, curriculum development, community involvement projects, seminars and trainings, recruitment activities, and research development."
The College has 469 Industry Partners, correct?
"Yes, we currently have 469 Industry Partners by my estimate, we'll likely have 500 by the end of the school year. Companies come to us for partnerships. They look for us. Our students are in demand."
Why is having so many Industry Partners good for the students?
"Well, that's a good question but also one that has a long answer," Mr. Muyargas said, laughing. "This might take some time, so bear with me! Simply put, having more IPs give students more real world power. Every student is 100% guaranteed to get an internship, or an OJT, which, you know, we require them to do in their fourth year.They get lots of job training and real world experience from some of the biggest companies in the world.
"Also, having more IPs means a better curriculum development program for the College. One of our biggest goals is to make our curriculum Industry relevant collaborating with our IPs helps us fine-tune what we teach. Having more IPs gives us a bigger 'insider' perspective of the needs of the Industry, and, as a result, what the students end up learning is exactly what they'll face once they finish college and enter the Industry for themselves, they'll know what to do and how to do it.
Having more IPs also means that we are associated with a wider variety of companies you know, all types, anything from the small startups to the mega corporations. This way, our students can have direct and personal experience with all forms of business types and models. Say, for example, a student wants to start their own business. Well, then, we get him or her connected with a now successful business that had first started off small. That student gets to learn what that company did, and how they did it, to become successful. On the other hand, if a student wants to work for one of the biggest tech companies around, like IBM, well, he can get his chance. We'll help him get that internship there, and then maybe even employment before graduation.
"In short, it is all about opportunity."
Wow. It really seems like having a lot of Industry Partners is important.
It really is. That's one of the reasons why we have a big advantage over a lot of other tech schools. We have way more IPs.
"And, also, since not every company is the same, you know, one company might have certain requirements that another doesn't we'll know that, and we can pass that information to our students. So, if they're targeting to work for a certain company, in a particular field, they'll know what they'll need and have a better chance of getting hired there."
In what other ways is the FEU-EAC and FEU Tech Internship and OJT program different from that of other colleges?
"Aside from having the opportunity to work with big companies, the College gives students more on-the-job training at most eight months. That's more than what any other school will give them."
Is a longer internship better?
"Absolutely. The more real world experience a student can get, the better. Not only do companies want them more because of their experience, but they're also better at their jobs. We give them more real world power, as well as the opportunity to get hired."
Earlier, you mentioned faculty immersion. What's that?
"It's similar to our student internship program. Faculty Immersion is placing full-time faculty into an Industry setting. We want our faculty members to have as much experience in the Industry as possible. They take their experiences home, and look at our curriculum, and help change it. Faculty Immersion is another way for them to learn what to teach, and make sure what they teach will make our students Industry ready."
Mr. Muyargas has definitely convinced us of the real world power of Industry Partnerships. Still, we suggest that you find out more about them on your own. Feel free to contact the current IALAP Director, Ms. Lovelle Gonzales, at linkage@feu-eastasia.edu.ph, via her Industry Linkage team. Discover the power for yourself!