The Professional Employment Program (PEP) is an immersive, capstone initiative offered to senior students across UNC’s colleges. It is designed to bridge academic learning and industry practice by placing students in a simulated workplace environment for one full semester. The program replaces traditional lectures, quizzes, and exams with real-world projects and professional evaluation, all within a classroom setting configured as an office.
Background and Purpose
PEP was developed in response to the high unemployment and underemployment levels among college graduates; national statistics indicate that as many as 5 out of 10 young adults (ages 15–24) are jobless, with 2 out of 5 of them being college graduates. The program aims to address this job-skills mismatch by providing students with practical experience, industry-aligned training, and soft skills development.
Program Structure
- Workplace Simulation: Students participate in a semester of work-modeled learning—dressing professionally, working in teams, and taking on real assignment tasks.
- No Exams: Academic grading is replaced by project-based evaluation aligned with industry standards, administered by professional trainers.
- Soft Skills: The curriculum emphasizes communication, collaboration, professional demeanor, problem-solving, and adaptability under pressure.
Outcomes and Impact
UNC reports that PEP participants:
- Double their chances of employment within 90 days post-graduation.
- See a 45% increase in starting salaries compared to peers who did not participate in PEP.
These robust outcomes underscore PEP’s effectiveness as a career transition tool for graduates.
Industry Collaborations
PEP is part of UNC’s career acceleration ecosystem, which includes partnerships such as:
- Accenture, which collaborates with UNC on programs like the Associate in Computer Technology (ACT), where students benefit from fast-track recruitment paths and training.
- Eskwelabs, offering a Data Analytics program for graduating education students under the PEP framework, enhancing digital literacy and employment readiness.
Educational Philosophy
The PEP reflects UNC’s transformation from traditional academics to a modern, industry-aligned educational model—blending “outcome-based education” with experiential learning and corporate collaboration. It underpins the university’s vision of producing “future-ready, work-ready, life-ready” graduates.
See Also
University of Nueva Caceres Career Services
Associate in Computer Technology (ACT)
Eskwelabs Data Analytics Program
References
- Professional Employment Program overview
https://unc.edu.ph/academics/special-programs/professional-employment-program/ - Professional Employment Program description (UNC site)
https://sites.google.com/unc.edu.ph/university-of-nueva-caceres/our-education/special-programs/pep - ACT program powered by PEP and Accenture
https://unc.edu.ph/news/247206/unc-launches-act-powered-by-pep-and-accenture/ - Eskwelabs partnership via PEP framework
https://www.eskwelabs.com/blog/eskwelabs-signs-moa-with-university-of-nueva-caceres-for-new-data-analytics-program
Leave a Reply