PLDT Makes On-the-Job Training Fun
July 20, 2002 | 12:00am
The phrase "On the Job Training" has always had a negative connotation among college students. Tales of hours upon hours of languishing in cramped working spaces, doing menial activities which can only be considered, at best, as clerical work; making coffee, running to get papers on the other side of the office complex, typing and encoding, and intermittently getting your daily dose of cancer-inducing radiation through that magnanimous device called the photocopying machine.
This nightmare, however, will hopefully be a thing of the past as companies begin to recognize the importance and value of having a formalized On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program. These days, the trend with large, multi-level corporations is to treat student internship as a good way to establish rapport with students and deal with them as they would any other important talent pipeline. And, in line with its new vision of establishing itself among college students/graduates as "The Employer of Choice", PLDT recently started it’s own OJT program.
A committee composed of HR representatives from the conglomerate’s participating subsidiaries (Project Head Catherine Sofia Herrera, and Alex Casas from PLDT, Kelly Paragas from SMART, Nissa Capinpin from Home Cable, Roel Espiritu from TeleSat, and Irene Garcia from ePLDT) was able to have this program push through. An example of convergence in action, the team worked hard and maximized every possible resource to be able to have the different companies come together in order to create a well thought-out Mentorship Program. One which will run the successful candidates through corporate life, and entrench them in structured training under the supervision of the conglomerate’s top executives.
The PLDT Group On-The-Job Training Program promises to be an enriching learning experience for the students who were able to get in.
PLDT started the recruitment process by introducing the program to the best colleges and universities in Metro Manila through job fairs, posters, and announcements at career offices. This initiative was headlined by a ‘PLDT Day’ which showcased the Group’s different products and services, introduced them to the companies through presentations and allowed students to interact with top executives, including PLDT President and CEO, Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan. About 800 interested parties submitted their application forms, online and actual, to sign up for the rigid selection process.
The aspiring trainees were then asked to take a standardized test, and write essays on why they think they deserve to be in the program. Thereafter, HR and the Line People, their respective mentors, interviewed the students who passed the initial screening. Using a composite criteria index of, among others, Academic Performance, Leadership Experience, Creativity, and Teamwork, a final cut of 83 people were selected from the crowd.
The inaugural batch of trainees were then given separate group orientations according to which company they were assigned to. Speakers were brought in to congratulate the students and inspire them to do what is expected of them, their BEST!
The Program itself officially began on April 9, 2002. Trainees were again put through another round of orientations, this time to familiarize them with their final post, their respective mentors, the people they would be working with, and their responsibilities within the company. To re-emphasize the fact, it was made clear that they would be given career specific, specialized OJT assignments that would be of real importance to the Company, while at the same time giving them actual, and applicable training.
It is hoped that by the time the Program wrapped up on May 31, the students would have been able to instill in themselves a sense of professionalism and responsibility. On that day, their progress and achievements, of which they were tasked to give a detailed presentation, were given due recognition through a ‘graduation’ ceremony. And for the students to accurately gauge their performance, HR and their mentors also gave them a proper evaluation of their stay with the company.
Highlights of the program include a weekly ‘Kamustahan’ Session, where the trainees shared their insights and interacted with the company’s top executives. A Sports Fest was also held during the 8-week course of the program to foster a desire for holistic development.
Student ties with the Group does not end there as they will still be updated about the company, given the chance to continue interaction with their mentors, and most of all be able to actualize their training in real life.
This nightmare, however, will hopefully be a thing of the past as companies begin to recognize the importance and value of having a formalized On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program. These days, the trend with large, multi-level corporations is to treat student internship as a good way to establish rapport with students and deal with them as they would any other important talent pipeline. And, in line with its new vision of establishing itself among college students/graduates as "The Employer of Choice", PLDT recently started it’s own OJT program.
A committee composed of HR representatives from the conglomerate’s participating subsidiaries (Project Head Catherine Sofia Herrera, and Alex Casas from PLDT, Kelly Paragas from SMART, Nissa Capinpin from Home Cable, Roel Espiritu from TeleSat, and Irene Garcia from ePLDT) was able to have this program push through. An example of convergence in action, the team worked hard and maximized every possible resource to be able to have the different companies come together in order to create a well thought-out Mentorship Program. One which will run the successful candidates through corporate life, and entrench them in structured training under the supervision of the conglomerate’s top executives.
The PLDT Group On-The-Job Training Program promises to be an enriching learning experience for the students who were able to get in.
PLDT started the recruitment process by introducing the program to the best colleges and universities in Metro Manila through job fairs, posters, and announcements at career offices. This initiative was headlined by a ‘PLDT Day’ which showcased the Group’s different products and services, introduced them to the companies through presentations and allowed students to interact with top executives, including PLDT President and CEO, Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan. About 800 interested parties submitted their application forms, online and actual, to sign up for the rigid selection process.
The aspiring trainees were then asked to take a standardized test, and write essays on why they think they deserve to be in the program. Thereafter, HR and the Line People, their respective mentors, interviewed the students who passed the initial screening. Using a composite criteria index of, among others, Academic Performance, Leadership Experience, Creativity, and Teamwork, a final cut of 83 people were selected from the crowd.
The inaugural batch of trainees were then given separate group orientations according to which company they were assigned to. Speakers were brought in to congratulate the students and inspire them to do what is expected of them, their BEST!
The Program itself officially began on April 9, 2002. Trainees were again put through another round of orientations, this time to familiarize them with their final post, their respective mentors, the people they would be working with, and their responsibilities within the company. To re-emphasize the fact, it was made clear that they would be given career specific, specialized OJT assignments that would be of real importance to the Company, while at the same time giving them actual, and applicable training.
It is hoped that by the time the Program wrapped up on May 31, the students would have been able to instill in themselves a sense of professionalism and responsibility. On that day, their progress and achievements, of which they were tasked to give a detailed presentation, were given due recognition through a ‘graduation’ ceremony. And for the students to accurately gauge their performance, HR and their mentors also gave them a proper evaluation of their stay with the company.
Highlights of the program include a weekly ‘Kamustahan’ Session, where the trainees shared their insights and interacted with the company’s top executives. A Sports Fest was also held during the 8-week course of the program to foster a desire for holistic development.
Student ties with the Group does not end there as they will still be updated about the company, given the chance to continue interaction with their mentors, and most of all be able to actualize their training in real life.
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