Framework for ASEAN 2015:

A Roadmap for Schools

John Addy S. Garcia, PhD
De La Salle University

ASEAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY 2015

ASEAN Economic
Community
10 countries, single
regional economic
market by 2015

One
Community

Regional
Cooperation
Working together
rather than competing
with each other
Strong emerging market
of 600M people

Free flow of goods,

services, investment
capital and skilled labor
Professional mobility

Free Trade

ASEAN 2015 Benefits (Runckel, 2012)

Brunei
Vietnam

Cambodia

Thailand

Indonesia
ASEAN
ECOMIC
COMMUNITY
2015

Singapore

Laos

Philippines

Malaysia
Myanmar

BENEFITS
regional cooperation
improve efficiency
more attractive than
individual countries
emerging market
focusing on SMEs
tourism opportunity
internationalization of health
care

Competitiveness Assessment and

Roadmap Action Agenda
National Consultation Workshop on a
Competitive Philippines in ASEAN 2015
(DOST/NCRP)

POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR

PHILIPPINE
COMPETITIVENESS

Professional Competitiveness
(PRC)
Roadmap Action Agenda

ASEAN 2015 and Philippine Schools

Opportunities
for growth

Challenges of
competitiveness

Roadmap to 2015
Inter-country
agreements

Philippine policy
initiatives and
reforms

Education
Sector action

Competitiveness of Filipino Professionals

(PRC initiative)

Competitiveness of graduates of Philippine

Educational Institutions

Keypoints

(condensed from Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Global Competitiveness of the Philippines

Philippine Professionals and Global Market
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
Assessing Competitiveness
Assessing Competitiveness among Filipino Professionals
Competitiveness Issues Facing Selected Professions:
Engineering, Accountancy, Nursing
Competitiveness Roadmap

Government

Academe

Professional
Competitiveness

Professionals

Private Sector

Global Competitiveness of the Philippines

Key Directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Promote export of

services

Comply with bilateral,

regional, and international
commitments to facilitate
inflow of foreign services
and services providers
(inbound/outbound)
Priority Mutual Recognition
Arrangements (MRAs) ASEAN

Implications/Action

Awareness of key
priorities of the profession
and the government
Strengthen linkages with
government regulatory
bodies and professional
organizations

Philippine Professionals and Global Market

Key Directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

PRC highlights the need

for more data-driven
and evidence-based
assessment of the
global competitiveness of
Filipino professionals

Implications/Action

Curricular reform
responsive to global
competitiveness
assessment

ASEAN Economic Community 2015

Key Directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

10-country integrated
economy by 2015

Trade (customs
modernization standard
and conformity and
services liberalization),
investments,
agriculture,
consumer protection, and
ratification of
transportation agreements.

Implications/Action

Looking at ASEAN as a
market (e.g., international
student enrollment,
employment opportunities
for graduates)

ASEAN Economic Community 2015

ASEAN FTA

ASEAN+6

ASEAN-China
ASEAN-Japan
ASEAN-Korea
ASEAN-Australia and New
Zealand
ASEAN-India

Implications

Looking beyond OECD,

Middle East, and US
Aligning with ASEAN+6
standards and market
demands
Establishing linkages with
ASEAN+6 Education and
Industry Partners

Assessing Competitiveness of the

Services Sector
Key Points
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Services play a vital role in

national growth,
development, and job
creation
Accounts for 50% of
economic activity, and
employment
Growth in services sector is
positively correlated with
developing countries
transition to middle income
status

Assessing Competitiveness Among

Filipino Professionals
Key Directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Implications/Action

To know

where the strengths and

weaknesses of the
professions
Where and how
international business
opportunities might be
maximized
How defensive their
international posture needs
to be and why

Parallel assessment of
quality of graduates vis-avis (local, national, regional,
international) competitors

Assessing Competitiveness Among

Filipino Professionals
Key directions
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Implications

To know

What needs to be done to

get the Philippine domestic
house in order fast
(including the tertiary
education system)

Implement CHED, PRC

guidelines
Conduct competitiveness
assessment of graduates
(tracer studies, exit
interviews, industry
FGDs)

Factors affecting Services competitiveness

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Endowments, human capital (talent, education, skills,

ideas, culture of customer focus)
Investment in intangible assets
Enabling digital infrastructure
Quality of institutions
Efficiency of domestic regulation
Connectedness with the International Market
Services business stakeholder consultation
Policy focus

Factors affecting Services competitiveness

Key Points
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Services are more skillsintensive than other

sector
Creating environment for
nurturing talent, skills and
ideas are critical in
attracting international
work
Relies heavily on
innovation

Implications/action

Developing global
mindset among
graduates
Curricular programs
responsive to both local
and international demands
Focusing on developing
core competencies
(talents, skills, ideas)
Emphasizing innovation

Factors affecting Services competitiveness

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Local Competitiveness

Whether supply of skills is

sufficient, relative to
demand
Getting the balance
between ensuring high
professional standards and
meeting market demand
Whether new professional
skill set is becoming
necessary

International Competiveness

Whether local
professionals can attract
foreign clients and what
level of value-add services
Whether Philippine
professional offer
professional value for
money, and in what
categories of practice

Competitiveness in simple terms

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Professional
Competitiveness as a
function of

Numbers
Quality
Quality assurance
Practice
Continuing education

Competitiveness Assessment Criteria

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Market conditions and trends

Core competency standards

Strong international confidence in domestic regulatory systems

Salary/fee expectations

Technical standards above or at par with regional best practice

Quality assurance

Skill shortages can suggest graduates are in-demand, hence

competitive

Prices not higher than regional average

Language skills and personal attributes

International clients are attracted by communication skills,

flexibility, adaptability, and initiative

PRC Professional Services

Competitiveness Assessment
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Engineering (Civil, Geodetic, Mechanical, Electrical,

Chemical, & Electronic)
Architecture
Accountancy
Medicine
Dentistry
Nursing

Competitiveness Assessment:
Engineering

Competitiveness Issues: Engineering

Competency

At par or higher than most

ASEAN economies
Top markets: Singapore,
Malaysia, Brunei
Less informed about:
Indonesia and Thailand
Significantly under
informed: Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar,Vietnam
CPE not mandatory

Quality Assurance

Not yet outcomes-based

education compliant
Not yet a signatory to the
Washington Accord
No Philippine engineers
listed among the ASEAN
Registered Engineers

Competitiveness Issues: Engineering

Personal Attributes

Competitive in Englishspeaking markets

Has reputation for being
highly flexible, fast learners,
multi-taskers, able to fit-in
in any team (including
supervisory levels)
Can rise to meet workplace challenges

International Value for

Money

Salary and fee-level

expectations at the low end
of the ASEAN-6 market
Competitive edge in high
value ASEAN market
(Singapore and Malaysia)

Competitiveness Issues: Engineering

Domestic and
International Skills
Shortages

Local skills shortage, in

both rural and urban areas
Engineering faculty skills
shortage
Varying degree of
awareness of
competitiveness among
professionals

Engineering competitiveness
suffers due to absence of:
Well-equipped university
laboratories
Strong R&D environment
and of any articulated
policy on innovation
Limitations on foreign
equity

Competitiveness Assessment:
Accountancy

Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy

Competency

High competency standards

Adopts international
standards
High marketable profession;
popular college course
Not threatened by foreign
professionals

Entry into international job

markets
PRB upgrading standards of
accountancy teachers
External accreditation of
accountancy schools

Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy

Quality Assurance

not yet compliant IFAC

obligations
initiatives to develop and
improve local quality
assurance systems in the
profession
Adoption of international
standards and code of
ethics

Personal attributes

Familiarity with US, British,

and Japanese system
Regional hub for talent
development
Lack of skills to market the
profession internationally

Competitiveness Issues: Accountancy

Skills shortages

Skills shortages in the

provinces
Underemployment
High staff turnover affected
by accreditation, workload,
and seasonal availability of
temporary staff

Employment in BPO sector,

but at lower levels
Emerging employment in
Knowledge-Process
Outsourcing (KPO)

Value for Money

Salary and fee level

expectation are
competitive across ASEAN

Competitiveness Assessment:
Nursing

Competitiveness Issues: Nursing

Skills shortages

High local unemployment

and underemployment
Overseas employment due
to Migration and not Trade
Limited preferred
destinations
Limited overseas
employment due to
depressed global economic
climate

Large ageing population in

OECD countries provides
high medium term work
opportunities
Lack of local funding to hire
more nurses in hospitals
Lack of nursing teachers
Inclusion of employment
for nurses in trade
agreements with ASEAN,
Japan and Australia

Competitiveness Issues: Nursing

Value for Money

Reluctant to go to lower
wage destinations or
alternative markets
Few work at an
entrepreneurial level

Personal attributes

Uninterested in
management positions in
offshore markets
Monetary consideration
had negative impact on the
perception of the
profession

Competitiveness Issues: Nursing

Competency and Quality

Assurance

Updated curriculum
Credentialing programme
for career pathways
Amendment of law

Nursing board actively

monitored quality of
nursing education, closed
80+ substandard schools

Competitiveness Roadmap (Garelli, 2011)

an attempt to describe
and assess the main issues
that will affect the world
competitiveness landscape
over a specific time period
subjective assessment which
aims to bring some
coherence to the
multitude of issues that are
said to be having an impact
sooner or later on the
competitiveness landscape

Competitiveness Roadmaps

PRC mandated all regulatory boards

to prepare and disseminate
competitiveness roadmaps for all
regulated professions
Action Agenda

Current State

Competitiveness
Goals

Competitiveness Roadmaps for Schools

Is it important and practical for HEIs

to conduct and disseminate
competitiveness roadmaps, similar to
what PRC requires from regulated
professions?
Action Agenda

Current State

Competitiveness
Goals

Competitiveness Assessment and

Roadmap Action Agenda
National Consultation Workshop on a
Competitive Philippines in ASEAN 2015
(DOST/NCRP)

POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR

PHILIPPINE
COMPETITIVENESS

Professional Competitiveness
(PRC, APO, CHED, HEIs)
Roadmap Action Agenda

Roadmap action agenda

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Action Agenda for

the Profession
Education and Skills Issue
R&D Innovation, Knowledge-Infrastructure
Policy and Regulatory Focus
Promoting and Facilitating PHL capability
globally and regionally

Investment Climate & Trade Issues

Action Agenda to
prepare Professionals

Roadmap Action Agenda

How to boost the availability and

expertise of the professional
practitioners to ensure they are
positioned to take advantage of
regional and global business
opportunities?
How can QA frameworks be
established?
Which workforce issues should
be addressed?
(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Roadmap Action Agenda

What could be done to boost the

ability of PHL professional
services sector to increasingly
improve productivity through
innovation?
How could a higher level of
collaboration be encouraged between
the private sector, academia, and
government agencies?

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Roadmap Action Agenda

Is a higher level of support

needed from the policy or
other regulatory institutions to
help improve the professions
access to global or regional
opportunities?

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Roadmap Action Agenda

What might be done to

improve the professions
branding either
domestically or
internationally?

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Road Map Action Agenda

Funding and investment

Implementation of
ASEAN MRAs

(Drake-Brockman, 2012)

Government

Academe

Professional
Competitiveness

Professionals

Private
Sector

Discussion Points

To what extent will the University initiate, participate, or

contribute to the challenge of preparing globally
competitive graduates/professionals?
What action agenda can be taken in relation to:

Assessment of competitiveness of graduates

Professional education
Advocacy for quality assurance
Promotion of innovation
Addressing the challenges of global competitiveness?

References

Department of Science and Technology, Republic of the

Philippines. (2011). Consultation/Workshop on a competitive
Philippines in ASEAN 2015.
Drake-Brockman, J. (2012). Rapid Assessment Report on the
Competitiveness of Regulated Professions Covered by the ASEAN
MRAs. Professional Regulation Commission: Manila, Philippines
Garelli, S. (2011). The competitiveness roadmap: 2011-2050
(The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011). Retrieved
from
http://www.imd.org/research/publications/wcy/upload/roadmap
Print_A4.pdf
Runckel, C.W. (2012). Asia opportunities: ASEAN Economic
Community 2015. Retrieved from http://www.business-inasia.com/asia/asean_economic_community.html