Career path of forestry graduates in the Philippines: implications to Forestry Education Program

This paper highlights the findings of the study on the Demand and Supply of Forestry Education Programs in the Philippines that was conducted in 2005 by the University of the Philippines Los Baños- College of Forestry and Natural Resources. The findings suggest that there is a declining enrollment trend in forestry education programs in the Philippines. This scenario began in the late 1990s to early 2000. Results of the study reflect the changing needs of the existing and potential employing institutions of the forestry graduates. The forestry sector is now looking for forestry graduates with competencies in the formulation and implementation of forest policies; laws and regulation; establishment and management of forest resources using appropriate technologies; design of appropriate resources conservation and preservation techniques; and, interpretation and application of geospatial methods in forest and other natural resources. This paper argues that the limited employment opportunity for the forestry graduates make the forestry education program less attractive to the prospective students. While the results of the study indicate that the forestry professionals/graduates in the early 1990s have been successfully employed in various institutions, the forestry graduates in the late 1990s to early mid-2000 were either underemployed or unemployed. The government sector has apparently limited capacity in terms of absorbing new forestry graduates. These developments call for: a) thorough review of the forestry education program - the curriculum to see whether the curriculum matches the preferred competencies of the existing and potential employers; the student recruitment strategies to ensure enrollment in the forestry program; instructional facilities to assure that the forestry students are adept with the recent technologies in forestry and related fields; b) review of the government policies in staff recruitment/hiring to provide opportunities for new graduates to occupy government plantilla items; and c) strong networking and alliances to help strengthen the forestry education program in the Philippines.