Revisiting the training programs of TESDA for women and business entrepreneurs : basis for a proposed developmental management strategy / Thelma O. Alday. 6

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2006.;A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Business Administration. 56

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ABSTRACT: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study determined the extent to which the TESDA trained women were able to apply their knowledge and skills gained from the TESDA training courses in pursuing business entrepreneurship undertakings. It focused on revisiting the skills/ vocational training programs being offered by the TESDA Women Center to women, which would enable them to either gain employment from others or pursue their own business undertakings after completion of the course. The study specifically answered the following problems: 1. Based on the training records of TESDA, what is the level of knowledge and skills of respondents women graduates of different entrepreneurship programs of TWC? 2. What is the status of preparedness of women graduates of entrepreneurship programs in terms of financial, management, leadership, problem solving skills, marketing, human relations and budgeting? 3. To what extent do the following forces influence the decision of women graduates to become entrepreneurs after completion of their training programs at the TWC? 4. What problems hinder the women graduates to pursue their entrepreneurship undertaking after training at TESDA? ; and 5. What developmental management strategy can be proposed to improve the training program of TESDA? RESEARCH DESIGN The study utilized the descriptive method of research because it determined the effect of training programs given by the TESDA Women Center to the women trainees in terms of the levels of their skills and knowledge, as well as preparedness. It applies three types of instruments in gathering the data. The major instruments were records from the TWC, sets of written survey questionnaires designed and validated by the researcher; and unstructured interview conducted by the researcher to selected respondents of the study. The data utilized from the TESDA were records of training of selected trainee respondents belonging to Batches 8 and 9, year 2003. There were 190 sample respondents of women graduates who were randomly selected by the researcher to respond to the questionnaire developed for the purpose. They were chosen from a population of 365 graduates of Batches 8 and 9 enrolled in year 2003 by applying the Sloven's formula. All respondents were women graduates. The courses from which these women graduates were taken are as follows: Automotive, Ceramics, Crafts, Electronics, Food Preparation, Garments, HRM Food and Beverages, HRM Food Prep, HRM front office, HRM housekeeping, jewelry and welding metals. The survey were conducted from November 2005 until March 2006. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Among the courses taken by the selected 190 respondents, the most number of graduate respondents belonged to the course of HRM- Food and Beverage training, wherein 37 women graduated which represented about 19 percent of the entire respondents. No women were enrolled in the garments as well as in HRM Food Preparation. There were 150 graduates out of the selected 190 respondents who were employed by others and they constituted about 79 percent of the entire respondents. Twelve were unemployed while 28 were self-employed or engaged in entrepreneurship after the training. Majority of the women belonged to the age bracket of 20-29 years old and most of the women were only high school graduates. The records of TWC on training of women graduates were on the basis of trainors assessment. The general assessment grade is a verbal description of either passed or failed or Withdrew. All of the 190 women graduates passed all the stages of the training programs. After their completion of the training program, the status of preparedness of women graduates in terms of financial and management and budgeting were inadequate. These areas were not touched more deeply by TESDA during their training period, as these were embodied in scattered modules in stage 2 (empowerment training) as well as in stage 3 (skill building training). However, the modules were not enough to develop and to prepare them as entrepreneurs because the concentration of the training programs were on building skills in human resources, leadership and skill proper. Even the on-the-job training did not help them much in the lacking skills as their work were concentrated on the service or production delivery instead of management, budgeting or resourcing. The women graduates were not aware of the legal/ political/ government forces that may help them become entrepreneurs. Their desire to pursue entrepreneurship undertaking was basically anchored on the economic situation or forces surrounding them, the technology availability and the competition forces. They did not know that government can be an instrument to help them become entrepreneurs through availment of a number of programs or financial assistance and even training. It indicates the lack of knowledge of these women on the roles and functions of various governmental organizations either in local or national level and TESDA failed to provide them with this significant information on these matters. Financial resources remain to be the biggest problem of women graduates to pursue entrepreneurial undertaking. This is an old but existing problem but TESDA did not include financial assistance to the women graduates, as this is not within their immediate mandate. As has been divulged in the status of preparedness, women graduates were not also knowledgeable and skillful in financial and budgeting areas, which strongly indicate the need for women to improve their skills on matters concerning capital budgeting, credit and loan borrowing, cash management, and other financial concerns. If a woman graduate wants to establish her own business instead of just being employed by others, after her training from TESDA, she should also be equipped with the necessary financial skills and knowledge. Unfortunately, as revealed in this study, TWC has overlooked the integration of this aspect in the components of the training program. Based on the findings on the status of preparedness of women graduates to engage in entrepreneurial undertaking, the basis for improvement of the training programs of TESDA should focus on business management skills. Specifically, developmental management strategy can be proposed to the TESDA management to improve the program by integrating skills development in business planning, cash budgeting, financial sourcing, contingency budgeting and related subjects in the legal aspects of business operations. These developmental areas have been found in the results of analysis of extent of economic force on the decision of women to engage in business undertaking after completion of their training programs.

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