The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) brought together partners from industry, civil society, and government sectors to promote academic linkages through faculty immersion during the 2nd Multisectoral Partnership Building event held on 29 September 2017 at the AIM Conference Center Manila.
The event provided a venue for ongoing and potential grantees and partners of the Sectoral Engagement grants program to interact, and share experiences, challenges, and best practices during the program’s first year of implementation.
Under the CHED’s K to 12 Transition Program, the Sectoral Engagement Grants provide opportunities and financial incentives for deloaded and displaced college teaching and non-teaching personnel to conduct immersion work, commissioned research, and extension activities with CHED-approved partners nationwide.
According to CHED Chairperson Patricia B. Licuanan, academe-industry partnerships will enable the country’s higher education institutions to be updated with the latest trends and keep up with the demands of both the private and public sectors.
“We continue to address the prevalence of jobs-skills mismatch by giving our institutions opportunities to collaborate and form partnerships with industries. We need to enhance industry-relevant knowledge and skills in our undergraduate programs to ensure that our students are fully prepared to join the labor market,” Licuanan said.
“Through immersion work, our faculty get to practice what they teach and apply their academic expertise outside of the classroom. At the same time, their knowledge is updated with industry field experience which their students will surely benefit from,” she added.
Sectoral Engagement Grantees: (L-R) University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Maritime Professor Janu Reyes, Iloilo Science and Technology University Professor Lourdes R. Diasnes, and University of the Philippines-Diliman former Professor Joseph L. Torrecampo.
Dr. Lourdes Diasnes, a professor at the Iloilo Science and Technology University and a Sectoral Engagement grantee, relishes her experience and contributions as a materials developer and trainer to the teachers of the Hibao-an Elementary School in Iloilo, as part of her engagement with the Uygongco Foundation Inc., one of CHED’s civil society partners.
“I am happy with the sectoral engagement because I am able to touch the lives of people. As a teacher, this engagement taught me to be the best that I can be,” Diasnes said.
Former University of the Philippines-Diliman professor Joseph Torrecampo, tasked to develop service culture training modules for the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), invites teachers to consider applying for the Sectoral Engagement grants.
“To my fellow faculty members who are in the academe: you better explore the world beyond the confines of your classroom and get to learn, appreciate what’s outside. You will get to see the application of your learning and discover how to put that into practice and meaningful use,” Torrecampo said.
Fourth quarter nominations for the Sectoral Engagement grants are now open. Higher Education Institutions may nominate their deloaded faculty and staff to do immersion work with over 118 partners from the industry, civil society, and government sectors. The list of partners include Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation, Enrique Zobel Foundation, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, among others.
The deadline for nominations is on October 31, 2017. For more information and the full list of available partners and engagements, head on to https://chedk12.wordpress.com/segrants/.
CHED K to 12 Transition Program 