BACOLOD CITY — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Western Visayas noted that most graduates produced by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the region are those in business and tourism-related courses.
Its latest report showed that those under business, hospitality management, and tourism management discipline comprised 25 percent of the total number of graduates during academic year 2016 to 2017.
The figure represents a total of 10,406 students who graduated last year. Of which, 7,032 were males and 3,374 were females.
Following this cluster of discipline is information technology, at 15.1 percent; health-related, 12.3 percent; teacher education, 12.2 percent; maritime, 8.9 percent; law and criminology, almost 5.7 percent; industrial technology, also almost 5.7 percent, and engineering, 5.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the arts and sciences discipline posted 4.2 percent of the total graduates leaving agriculture and fisheries at 2.8 percent. Among other courses are pegged at 1.6 percent.
Efren Sucaldito, tourism and hospitality programs in-charge of CHED Region 6, said business establishments have been sprouting in Western Visayas. particularly in the field of hospitality and tourism.
Sucaldito said these establishments will eventually need workers from those particular fields.
“Business administration course, for instance, is such a very flexible program. Graduates can obtain jobs whether in the public and private sector,” he said, adding that higher workforce demand can also be attributed to more number of students enrolling in to these fields.
Sucaldito said that business tourism and education programs are composed of varied sub-programs or fields of specialization resulting to higher number of graduates.
These fields include business administration, hospitality management, accountancy, accounting technology, real estate management, management accounting, information system, entrepreneurship, office administration, and customs administration, among others.(Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
