Relevance of Business Education in the Economic Development of Ilocos Sur

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relevance of the business education in the economic development of the province of Ilocos Sur. It sought to investigate the profile of the faculty in terms of age, gender, civil status, academic rank, educational attainment, length of service, seminars attended, and publication. The profile of the business education graduates includes age, gender, civil status, course, and major. The business education schools looked into the number of their enrollees, the adequacy of their instructional materials, and the adequacy of their instructional facilities also the air-condition units and laptops. The of implementation of business education program along the areas of mission and vision, program administration, curriculum, dean, faculty, library, laboratory, instructional facilities and others. The level of competencies includes  knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values; the output of the business education program in the economic development. The impact on employment, per capita income, social services and the provincial poverty threshold. The relationships between faculty profiles, school profiles, quality of graduates, and the level of competencies, and the relationship between the relevance of the business education program and the quality of the graduates.

Descriptive correlational method was employed. Questionnaire checklist was the main tool used. The 34 faculty members and 314 graduates of the three state universities and colleges served as respondents. Frequencies, percentages, mean and simple linear correlation analysis was employed.

It was found that faculty members were generally young, mostly female, and single. Most of the instructor ranks, graduates of accountancy courses, holders of post-graduate degrees, untenured, not attended seminars or conference and have not done some research or have published.  Graduates were young, female, single, with degrees in Business Accountancy. Instructional materials are generally inadequate, have adequate armchairs, and classrooms, lack of rotating ceiling fans, overhead projectors, computer sets, television sets or tape recorders, radio cassettes or CD players, and lights. The missions and visions, their programs administration, curriculum, business education programs as per CMO 17, s. 2017 with regard to their deans and faculty are Very Highly Implemented. There is a significant relationship between faculty profile and the level of implementation of the business education program. Significant relationship found between the quality of graduates and the level of implementation of the business education program and the quality of graduates.

The researcher recommended that business education schools adopt a more rationalized faculty promotion and incentives program that recognizes seniority, qualifications, and merit; faculty development programs be designed and implemented to enhance faculty capabilities and expertise particularly on instruction and research publications; business education schools intensify student recruitment and marketing efforts to increase student population; business education school explore linkages and partnerships with governmental and/or non-governmental business entities to match their course offerings with provincial priority business needs and agenda; business education schools are in the position to participate in job fairs; and extra-curricular innovative marketing and entrepreneurship through well-crafted and implemented business outreach in various communities in the province.