STI: Bigger & Better at 25!

It started with a vision 25 years ago and for over two decades, STI has lived that vision and emerged as one of the most reputable institutions in the country, which continues to provide quality education.

Established in August 21, 1983, STI started with only three schools. Now, STI provides ICT-enabled education to more than 100 campuses here and abroad. Its programs include courses in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Engineering, Healthcare, Business & Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Education. It also expands its network through the establishment of its Basic Education System which caters to students in the Pre-School, Grade School, and High School.

This August, as STI commemorates its Silver Year, STIers all over the world are invited to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. The theme “CELEBRATING SILVER” captures STI’s milestones and embraces brand new visions beyond premiere learning experiences. Indeed, STI has proven its expertise and mettle in equipping students with real-life education while molding members of its network to consistently render unparalleled service and commitment.

August 29, 2008, signifies the BIG Event through various activities simultaneously taking place in three venues at the heart of Manila – Star Theater, Aliw Theater, and The Forum I.

At Star City, STI students will once again showcase beauty, brains and talents through the STI TALENT SEARCH 2008 and STI TAGISAN NG TALINO 2008. At the same time, The Forum I in PICC will hold equally significant gatherings, the STI JOB FAIR, which is specially prepared for STI graduating students for career opportunities and the STI EXHIBIT, a venue to remember the STI legacy.

A truly shining moment, CELEBRATING SILVER proves that STI has never been this bigger and better!

STI’s Celebrating Silver is supported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Grow, Ever Bilena, Noosa, Careline, Black Water, PeopleSupport Philippines and eTelecare Global Solutions and Superferry.

 

Excelling at eTELECARE

eTelecare, the world’s most honored call center company and the largest based in Asia, is one of the leaders in outsourcing customer service functions to the Philippines. Since 2000, eTelecare has been a top-performing provider of technical support, sales and customer service programs for Fortune 100 clients in the consumer electronics, financial services, consumer products, and travel and leisure sectors. eTelecare’s offerings range from standard inbound customer service to expert enterprise-level technical support and NASD Series 6 and Series 7 licensed mutual funds transactions.

As one company, eTelecare Global Solutions has more than 30 clients and revenues of over $125 million. The company has eleven call centers, four in the Philippines and seven in the US, with a total of more than 8,000 employees. Together, the companies have won a combined 19 industry awards including four consecutive Best Outsourcer Awards at the International Call Center Management Conference & Exhibition, as well as consecutive Customer Relationship Management Excellence Awards and Marketing Via Phone Quality Awards from Customer Inter@ction Solutions magazine.

eTelecare was awarded by the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines as 2005 The Employer of the Year. This proves that we only offer the optimum to our employees.  Being named the Outstanding Employer of the Year is a big source of pride as we are receiving this very prestigious award from PMAP, the country’s leading association of over 1000 companies engaged in human resource management.

STI holds first ever jobs fair

ORMOC CITY – More than 200 alumni and graduating students of STI Ormoc attended the first ever 3-days “job placement week” activity of the computer college held here last February 9-11. This year’s theme is “Get Ready to Enter the Professional World of Global Pinoy”.

On the first two days, the participants underwent seminars on resume-writing, personality development, power dressing and handling job interviews.

The activity was capped on its 3rd day with a “Jobs Fair” attended by several companies who accepted applications from the STI products, and interviewed them for possible job placements.

The companies who came included representatives from Coca-Cola Bottlers Corporation, LEYECO V, PAGCOR / Blue Horizon, E-Telecare, BayanTel, LBC, DGF Services and Consultancy, RBS Computer Center, Easy General and Ormoc Printshoppe.

School authorities said that the purpose of the job placement week was to put into reality its Enrollment to Employment System or the E2E system which aimed to help our graduates land jobs in companies that recognize the excellence of our students.

They said that STI’s vision is to be the leading global institution in information and communication technology that prepares students to excel in their chosen field of study in the country.

It was also learned that the activity was a nationwide one, done at every STI campus in the country.

Aside from the actual job interviews, STI also posted the participant’s resume on the school’s premiere career service web site dubbed as I-CARES – Interactive Career Assistance and Recruitment System (www.i-cares.com). It is an on-line recruitment management system that provides assistance to STI students and alumni in establishing links for prospective employers for both local and foreign employment.

Of course, school authorities said, the applicants are still keeping their fingers crossed, if they will be one of the lucky individuals who are soon to be employed by the prestigious companies who came and became a valuable part of their National Job Placement Week

STI goes full-blast on job placement assistance for its students

As the need for a quick solution to the country's worsening economic problems and the steadily rising unemployment rate continue, more and more Filipinos are now training their sights overseas with the hope of finding better job opportunities abroad. In its 2004 survey, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that a total of 3.9 million, or 1 out of 10 Filipinos (11%), were unemployed last year. However, latest figures from the IBON Foundation, a non-government organization, suggests an even higher rate -- 33%, which means that 3 out of 10 Filipinos are currently without a job.

Realizing the urgency of reversing this trend, STI, the largest network of colleges in the country, has come up with a unique human resource value chain called the E2E or “Enrollment to Employment” System, which sought to develop globally-competitive knowledge-based workers. The institution has envisioned a need to produce “job-ready” graduates whose skills are attuned to the needs of the job market so as to allow them to have gainful employment. Aside from developing skills, the system also provides job placement assistance for its students through STI's affiliation with Global Resource for Outsourced Workers (GROW), a leading overseas recruitment agency.

Given the immensely positive reaction to the E2E system, another support mechanism for the program was born. Called the “National Job Placement Week”, the project is expected to further institutionalize STI's vision of creating better job opportunities for its graduates while at the same time helping them gain an edge over other job applicants. To be implemented through the STI Alumni and Placement Services, the program is a pioneering project that will stage one of the biggest jobs fair ever to be put up by a single institution. Part of the plan is to conduct simultaneous jobs fair across STI's more than 100 campuses in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region (NCR) from February 7 -11, 2005. In Batangas, a group of STI schools in the vicinity of Tanauan, Balayan, Batangas City and Lipa have decided to hold a joint jobs fair undertaking with SM as one of the major event sponsors.

“The National Job Placement Week,” explains Ms. Babes Bonoan, Manager, STI Alumni & Placement Services, “is a countrywide job placement assistance program that's been designed solely for graduating students and alumni of STI. Aside from the simultaneous jobs fair that will be held across the nation, there'll also be career orientation seminars for graduating STI students. These will enable graduating students and prospective job seekers to better ‘market' themselves.”

To be conducted in support of one of the major components of the E2E system, which gives STI students and alumni supportive mechanism in their employment endeavors, the event shall also form part of STI's vision to offer education on a wholistic level.

”While STI continues to find ways of offering the best IT-enhanced education for today's youth, the STI Alumni and Placement Services, in parallel, shall continue helping STI graduates find better job opportunities here and abroad,” offers Ms. Monique Bumatay, also of the STI Alumni and Placement services. The STI Alumni and Placement Services runs a web-based program called Interactive Career Assistance and Recruitment System (I-CARES) to help keep track of its members. It provides job placement assistance by establishing links between STI students and graduates with local as well as foreign employers.

Aside from getting a chance to meet face-to-face with representatives from the participating companies, the event will also give graduating students a chance to attend free seminars on power dressing, proper handling of job interviews and writing battle-ready resumes. Participants are also expected to enjoy the daily programs lined up for them, where STI students will be encouraged to look for business opportunities during the event. Interested parties are encouraged to call or visit STI schools nearest them.

Philippine Daily Inquirer
February, 2005
People at Work Section