BUKIDNON STATE UNIVERSITY Malaybalay City, Bukidnon 8700 Tel (088) 813-5661 to 5663; Telefax (088) 813-2717, www.buksu.edu.ph College of Administration Government Affairs Department NARRATIVE REPORT 1st Semester, SY 2020 – 2021 Ma. Louise Belle B. Micayabas submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the course Public Administration 116- Internship in Government Administration Bukidnon State University April 30, 2020 Introduction On the Job Training (OJT) is primarily defined as teaching the skills, knowledge, and competencies that are needed for employees to perform a specific job within the workplace and work environment. As a training program for students, an OJT is designed to immerse learners in work environments relevant to their area of study in order to facilitate knowledge on, productivity in, and respect for the workplace. By applying the principles, ideas, and theories learned in the classroom, it enables them to level up their technical skills, knowledge, and attitude towards work. Technically, it is a structured experience that enhances a student's academic, career and professional development. In a nutshell, an OJT is the highlight of a student’s academic journey. This supervised internship aids the students to acquire relevant knowledge and skills through the actual experience of working in the field of their profession. Essentially, their workplace and environment becomes a new venue of learning. An On the Job Training provides a strong foundation in preparing the students for their future careers and employment. For this semester, our On the Job Training is different from the usual traditional internship. Since we are still in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic, our internship is a Work from Home OJT. It is a modified virtual internship, flexible and retrofitted for us trainees. This set up is a safe alternative to traditional in-person internships considering the growing threat of the deadly Coronavirus - 19(COVID-19). Our Work from Home OJT allows us to experience a remote work environment at the comfort of our homes. The Government Affairs Department under the College of Administration will be our place of internship. Our instructor, Maam Rona Celeste V. Pasamonte will serve as our supervisor. An orientation prior to our formal Work from Home OJT was conducted informing us of our tasks and responsibilities. We are still required to report on a daily basis. We are to meet virtually with our instructor to discuss projects and progress. All of our daily tasks and assigned work are to be submitted online. Challenges Experienced On the first assignment, the trainee encountered a few setbacks in searching for a suitable government agency that enacted a COVID-19 contingency plan. This dilemma was further amplified with the College of Administration's policy prohibiting students to visit any government office for academic related activities. The trainee will have to settle for the research materials available online. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of government websites that were updated. The trainee opted for a non government organization (NGO) widely recognized for its significant role in the coordination of Covid-19 responses to both national government agencies and local government units. On the second assignment, the trainee was assigned to write the journal for the tracer study. Since the data retrieved from the group leaders was still in its raw format, the trainee manually tabulated and arranged all of the respondent's answers into different charts. The entire process had to be repeated twice as there were a few inconsistencies. The trainee experienced a few difficulties in writing the journal for the tracer study. First, how to properly construct the parts of the journal given the limited scope of the study and availability of published studies. Most graduate tracer studies employ complex structured parts for evaluating the whereabouts of their graduates. The trainee made several revisions before finally settling for a compounded format. Second, was in interpreting the gathered data through frequencies and percentage. Given the limited number of related tracer studies online, the trainee ensured that all of the results are carefully interpreted as it is. Reading previous studies provided comfort in knowing that there are a variety of valid reasons for such results. Finally, the trainee wanted the data to be concise and easily read. This entailed hours of realigning the tables and numbers as it was also important for the data to be presented in a visually appealing way. Learning Experiences • PA114 – Research Methods The trainee learned that just like any research study, this task calls for utmost patience, resilience and sacrifice. There will be plenty of late nights, retrieval delays and numerous revisions. Considering the trainee's high regard for real time results, this reality of research proved to be very challenging. The trainee opted to work with an expanded time plan in order to adjust the days for data retrieval. A weekly coordination with the assigned group leaders proved to be more helpful in organizing and building retrieved data. In research class, students are encouraged not to practice the cardinal sins in academia - plagiarism, falsifying data, and trying to match data with conclusions. The trainee continues to uphold this ethical rule in research. Writing the journal for the tracer study was no easy feat for the trainee as it required extensive reading. Several nights were spent reading various literatures that could support the results of the study. The trainee decided to manually draft the journal in sections as not to be end up overwhelmed with all manner of literature. By this time, the trainee reaffirms that research indeed should be a systematic approach by completing the journal step by step. • PA124 – Leadership and Decision Making The trainee validates that an On the Job Training experience help students to improve performance at work place. A leadership style can influence the culture of the group which, in turn, influences the group's performance. The trainee learned that formulating and implementing effective leadership strategies are necessary for tasks to be completed on time. When there are deadlines to beat, it is best to work as a team in order to increase productivity. Even if the trainee is assigned to work solely on the journal, there is still a definite need to be working alongside with the assigned groups. Developing proper communication skills, allowing room for shortcomings and exercising conflict management were the key strategies that the trainee applied. Our classes on Leadership taught us that leaders tap the knowledge and skills of a group, point individuals toward a common goal in order to achieve results. The trainee believes that leaders and members should inspire, persuade, and encourage one another. • SS101 – General Psychology Previous classes in Psychology described anxiety as an emotion characterized of feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. Often times, people with this kind of anxiety have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They usually avoid certain situations out of worry. The trainee suffers from chronic anxiety clinically diagnosed as a form of Social Anxiety Disorder. Persistent fear and selfdoubt can hugely affect one's performance in an internship setting. Selfdoubt occurs when the trainee lacks confidence or feels incapable of doing things that need to be done. Most days were filled with constant worrying about things not going according to plan. Albeit the daily struggle, the trainee managed to suppress these negative feelings by meditating a few minutes before working on current tasks. Mantras about "facing challenges head on because you are completely capable" posted on the trainee's desk were found to be very helpful. The trainee learned to stepped out from her usual comfort zone with a realistic approach in organizing tasks at hand instead of spending an inordinate amount of time polishing projects and missing out on deadlines. • Philo 106 - Ethics The trainee recognizes the importance of having a strong work ethic. Our classes in Ethics emphasized work ethic as a guide for employees’ attitudes towards work and behavior on the job. It determines what is good and what is the right moral choice in job-related situations. The trainee learned that the key to developing a strong work ethic is to discipline one's self to stay focused. This is accomplished through setting goals and removing any distractions. Lack of focus on main tasks can complicate an otherwise efficient process thereby affecting productivity. All throughout the course of internship, the trainee was constantly motivated in performing her best. The trainee acknowledges that personal growth can be achieved through hard work, perseverance and determination. Conclusion On the Job Training (OJT) is a structured experience designed to immerse students in work environments relevant to their area of study in order to facilitate knowledge on, productivity in, and respect for the workplace. It enhances a student's academic, career and professional development. This kind of internship provides a strong foundation in preparing the students for their future careers and employment. A Work from Home OJT is a very good alternative to the traditional internship for it allows students to experience a remote work environment at the safety and comfort of their homes. An On the Job Training (OJT) connects the knowledge learned in the classroom with real life applications in order for the students to have the ultimate learning experience. It simply outlines the big difference between learning the information needed to be successful in the future and actually applying it in the workplace. In addition, an OJT develops and fine tunes relevant skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, work ethics, adaptability, communication, and time management. Finally, an On the Job training creates a whole diversified experience while enriching the self-acquired proficiencies of the students. It gives every student a chance to be the best version of themselves and worthy of employability.
