The next best thing to becoming celebrity

By Deni Rose M. Afinidad
Contributor

There was a time when non-college graduates could get a job, even snag managerial positions. Today, even a master?s and a doctor?s degrees are not an assurance for a better future, much like a showbiz career.

Celebrities like KC Concepcion and Joyce Jimenez know this all too well, that?s why they headed for the next best thing to becoming a celebrity: earning an international degree.

An international diploma is not only a hood of immunity from the sting of massive unemployment and global crisis; it also provides the graduate the flexibility and confidence to work anywhere in the world.

Time was when only celebrities and the upper crust can afford an international education. But with AMA?s recent tieup with Georgian College of Canada, anyone, celebrity or not, can now access an international degree for less, but with a high chance to work, and eventually, immigrate abroad.

The program, called Georgian College-AMA 1+1, allows one to earn Canadian educational credentials while in the Philippines. The enrollee automatically gets registered as a student of both AMA and Georgian College, receiving instruction from local teachers specially trained and guided by Georgian College professors. The student uses the same modules, lessons, exams and books being used by Georgian College students in Canada.

After satisfactorily completing two semesters in Manila, the student proceeds to Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario, to undergo a mandatory co-op program, or the equivalent of a practicum in the Philippines. During the program, the student chooses the company he wishes to work for, applies for a position in the company, and when hired, works for a semester, receiving the same responsibilities and above-minimum wages being given to regular employees.

?On average, a student can earn at least $7,000 per term, nearly 70 percent of the student?s total tuition for one year. Those in IT will earn even more. In other words, the student can actually finance his own education in Canada,? says AMA?s Alma de la Cruz.

According to Georgian College?s Paul Burton, close to 90 percent of the students who have undergone the co-op have been hired by the same companies who took them in during the program, while 94 percent of the graduates were able to find the job they want within 90 days after graduation.

De la Cruz adds that as compared with actually studying in Canada, Georgian College-AMA 1+1 will make the student save up to 50 percent in tuition and cost of living for a two-year program, and up to 30 percent for a three-year course. The programs to choose from are Computer Programmer Analyst, Computer Technician-Networking, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism and Travel, Massage Therapy, and Office Administrative Executive. These courses correspond to highly in-demand jobs in Canada. The student has the option to return to the Philippines after the course or to secure a Post-Graduate Work Permit and find work in Canada. While working, the graduate can then proceed to apply for permanent residency.

Now, finding a work in Canada would not be a problem, says Georgian College?s Michael Agema, given the country?s current 2-percent labor deficit, which he estimates would blow up to 10 percent since Canada?s ageing population cannot anymore produce homegrown workers to fill the country?s sprawling tourism trend.

?The good news is, people still travel even during the recession,? asserts Agema.

To know more about the Georgian College-AMA 1+1 program, visit the nearest AMA or ABE college.