144 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Effect Determination of Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko: A Community Extension Program RONNIE B. RUBI https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8689-8995 ronbrubz@gmail.com Bicol State College of Applied Sciences Technology Peñafrancia Ave., Naga City Originality: 100% • Grammar Check: 100% • Plagiarism: 0% ABSTRACT Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko is a community-based technology education extended by the college anchored to the CMO 52 s. 2016. This study is an assessment of the aforementioned program. Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko was aimed to educate and capacitate the beneficiaries with applied technology skills in (a) food processing, bread, and pastry production, (b) garment technology and (c) household wiring and electrical installation. The study determined the effect of the program on the beneficiaries’ personal development, on the beneficiaries’ adoption of the skills they acquired from the training, and on augmenting the family income of the beneficiaries. Mixed-method of research was utilized in the study. Surveys and focus group discussion (FGD) was used to collect data. Results show that of the 70 beneficiaries that adopted the skills they learned from the program, four (4) started a small business, eleven (11) used the skills they learned to seek employment and fifty-five (55) applied it at home or in personal use. On average, the participants agree (3.52) that the program has helped them to have a better personality development and they also agree (3.29) that their stress was reduced. The participants strongly agree (3.51) that the program has helped increase their family’s income. Vol. 35 · January 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7719/jpair.v35i1.655 Print ISSN 2012-3981 Online ISSN 2244-0445 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8689-8995?lang=en mailto:ronbrubz@gmail.com 145 International Peer Reviewed Journal Keywords — Social science, skills training, effect determination, mixed- method, Naga City. INTRODUCTION Self-sufficiency and unemployment are just two of the several issues that the world is trying to address. Unemployment can lead to financial debt, low self- esteem, and feelings of guilt (Audhoe, Hoving, Sluiter, & Frings-Dresen, 2010). One possible solution to these problems is through skills training. Internationally, different countries have their ways of capacitating their citizens. The European Commission (EU) proposed a package, the Youth Guarantee, which offers its youth jobs, education and training. This program is to be implemented by the member countries (Patache, 2015). European governments have invested in vocational education and training (VET) systems for school drop-outs to help them address the skills required by the economies (Gatt and Faurschou, 2016). Hungary offers Bachelor of Science in Technical trainer course, which enables the students to combine theoretical and practical work in their field of specialization (Toth and Pentelenyi, 2013). Britain has a reconstructed program for vocational education and training (VET) that is hinged on mindfulness-based intervention (MBI’s) (Hyland, 2014). Romanian government conducts training for their small and medium entrepreneurs (SME’s) in a way that can influence their productivity level in the future (Turcut, 2016). In Uzbekistan, corporations have a demand for skilled employees. To meet the demands, corporations partner with academies and training centers to train the future workforce (Damoc, 2017). Spain offers its VET system and has undergone modernization since 1990. Their VET system continues to evolve up to 2013 and is being offered to their citizens in 2015 (Marhuenda-Fluixa, Salva, Navas, & Abietar, 2015). The European policymakers want to tap the global market for highly skilled workers (Mahroum, 2001), and other countries are training their people to be globally competitive, skills wise. In Africa, students of higher education in Nigeria are suggested to be ex- posed in the idea of career adaptability skills to give them confidence in entering the labor market (Ebenehi, Rashid and Bakar, 2016). South Africa has Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP) that provide trainings and employment op- portunities to its beneficiaries (Hlatshwayo, 2017). These are all done by different governments to help their people fight back against poverty. In Asia, Singapore has a successful and quality technical education and train- ing (their version of vocational education training). It has a high participation 146 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research rate and is being provided by their Institute of Technical Education (Yek and Penny, 2006). Malaysia has a vocational education that is rooted and emphasized in manual agricultural and crafts. Since the independence of Malaysia, their vo- cational education has continued to grow (Mustapha, 2017). Research of Mahjid and Razzak (2005) proposes an Open Distance Learning (ODL), for vocational training due to the lack of availability of vocational and technical network in Pakistan. Thailand’s post-1992 curriculum trains its students to carry-out skills- based activities that deals with practical work experiences and basic knowledge to prepare them for their careers (Charoensap, 2017). In the Philippines, skills’ training is also offered to people. The Technical Ed- ucation and Skills Authority (TESDA) is the lead agency providing the trainings, but other agencies like state colleges and universities also provide skills training. One such state college is the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST). As a higher education, it is mandated to help the com- munity in the form of extension services as stipulated in the Republic Act of 7722. BISCAST implements extension programs that address the issues of the public. The school coordinates with its stakeholders for the better implementa- tion of the program. The site was chosen based on a needs assessment survey conducted among the parents-teachers-association (PTA) of the laboratory high school of BIS- CAST. The result of the assessment showed that the parents of the laboratory high school students coming from Naga city needed and will benefit the most from this program, hence the selection of Naga city as the program site. From the trainings offered, food processing and pastry production has the highest per- centage participants that signified interest in joining the training, (42.86%), sec- onded by garment technology, (15.59%), third is beauty care, (hair treatment, manicure, and pedicure) (14.29%), fourth is electricity wiring and installation (13.53%) and last is arts and crafts (bag making and others using recycled mate- rials) (13.53 %). From the result, only the top 3 were selected for implementa- tion due to budget constraints. A delay in the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA), between the trainers of beauty care and program proponents resulted in the offering of electrical wiring and installation training instead. From the 133 participants in the survey, 70 had actually gone through with the train- ings. Of the 70 participants, 41 or 58.57% participated in the food and pastry production, 12 or 17.14% joined in the garment technology training, while 17 or 24.29%, trained in electrical wiring and installation. 147 International Peer Reviewed Journal The program was conducted through a series of lectures, demonstration of the trainer, followed by hands-on-activity and an assessment of the trainees’ grasp of the concept by individual demonstration. Evaluating the effects of the extension programs offers insights as to whether it worked or not and how it can be improved. The assessment can also be used as a guide to other future extension projects with similar objectives. The program was aimed to equip the beneficiaries with the skills that can improve their quality of life. Findings from the initial monitoring of the program show that the following after effects are attributed to the program: 1) beneficia- ries of the program attained employment in different institutions, 2) beneficiaries that are also teachers of Alternative Learning System (ALS) adopted the program; they conducted the same training program in their respective communities, 3) beneficiaries were provided with business opportunities. The program was implemented in 2017. The effect assessment was done a year, or after the end of the project to determine if the project had a positive effect on the community, hence the conduct of this study. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The study aims to evaluate the effect of the Kaaraman ko, Iwaras ko: A Tech- nology Livelihood Education for Community Extension Program, specifically in: a) the beneficiaries’ personal development, b) the beneficiaries’ adoption of the skills they learned from the training, c) and if the program helped augment the beneficiaries’ family income. METHODOLOGY Conceptualization Laboratory high school PTA of BISCAST approached the laboratory high school supervisor for assistance in the conduct of livelihood trainings for their members. A survey was conducted to the members of the PTA on what trainings needed to help them in augmenting their family income. The result showed that the following trainings: food processing and pastry production, garment technology, and electrical wiring and installation were the ones with the most number of interest. The trainings were conducted and evaluated by the faculties of BISCAST. 148 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Research Design A Mixed-method research style was utilized in the study. Data gathering was done through surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), document review, direct observations and interviews with the project beneficiaries as well as with the extensionists. Research Site The study was undertaken in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines. The needs assessment showed that parents from Naga city would benefit the most from this program. Also, the majority of the beneficiaries came from Naga city; logistically, it was sound that the trainings were held in Naga city. Participants The respondents of the study are the beneficiaries of the Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko : A community extension program. It is composed of household heads and out of school youths coming from the different barangays in Naga City. Majority of the participants were female (72.86%). With the exception of 3 males, all other participants in food processing and pastry production were female. In the garment technology training, it was composed of all female trainees, while the electrical and wiring installation training was an all-male trainee. Majority of the trainees were aged 39. The youngest trainee is a female, aged 19, an out-of-school youth, and the oldest is also a female, aged 67, a household wife. Instrumentation Thirty beneficiaries participated in the validation of the questionnaire. The trial respondents’ responses were analyzed and its measure of reliability was determined using Cronbach’s alpha. According to Sekaran (2005), if the Cronbach’s alpha is less than 0.6, this means that the instrument used has low reliability. If the alpha value is within 0.7 and above, the instrument is acceptable. In this study, the internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) for the scales used were all above the level of 0.7, which is acceptable for the analysis. The validated questionnaire was then used to gather information and data. The questionnaire is composed of four parts. It includes the profile of the respondents, assessment of the acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes of the respondents and open-ended questions about the effect of the program on the living condition of the respondents. 149 International Peer Reviewed Journal All targeted respondents were informed about the purpose and importance of the study and that honest answers would serve well for the study. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This part discusses the participants’ adoption and over-all assessment of the program. Adoption of the skills learned Table 1. Number of Adopters of Each Skills Training Under the Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko Extension Program Training No. of Beneficiaries ADOPTION Business Employment Home/Personal Use 1. Food Processing, Bread and Pastry Production 41 2 6 33 2. Garment Technology 12 2 4 6 3. Electricity wirings and installation 17 1 16 Total 70 4 11 55 Percentage 100 % 5.71 % 15.71 % 78.57 % Table 1 shows the number of adopters of each skills training under the Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko extension program. For food processing, bread and pastry production, there were 41 beneficiaries. Two beneficiaries adopted the training by selling processed food like mushroom chicharon and processed goods, six beneficiaries used their learned skills to gain employment, and the rest of the beneficiaries applied the skills they learned by using it at home. For garment technology: of the 12 beneficiaries, two applied the skills in a small business of tailoring gowns and dresses and cloth repair jobs, four beneficiaries used their learned skills for job opportunities and the other six used the skills in their homes. For electricity wirings and installation: one out of the 17 beneficiaries used the learned skill for employment purposes while the rest of the beneficiaries applied their skills at home. As shown in Table 1, 5.71 % of the total beneficiaries engaged in a small business venture, 15. 71 % of the beneficiaries used the skills for employment 150 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research and 78.51% of the beneficiaries used the skills at home. Only a small percentage of the beneficiaries start a viable business using the skills they learned from the program. According to the result of the interview, a possible reason for this small percentage is that the beneficiaries do not have enough capital. Some of the beneficiaries do not have enough money to sustain their basic needs; more so in opening a business. Nevertheless, the program provided business opportunities especially on food processing and bread and pastry production. Evidence of this is the Bech’s frappes and delights in Magsaysay Avenue, Naga City where they sell frappes and other delicacies like leche flan, maja blanca and others. Dean (2016) cited that a person who has the skills aligned to the trending employability opportunities is more likely to have a job than those who are skilled but not in need. To ensure that the beneficiaries would have the opportunities for employment once they finished the training, a needs assessment was first conducted before implementing the program. After completing the program, 6 of the 8 beneficiaries who earned their National Competency II (NC II) used their NC II certificates and acquired skills for employment. The six beneficiaries used to be just volunteers in an alternative learning school (ALS) but are now regular employees of the Department of Education (DepEd). During the interview with Ma’am Ma. Elena C. Alinday, one of the beneficiaries of the program, she gave her thanks to BISCAST for implementing the program because the skills she learned from the program helped her to be employed in DepEd as a teacher. The skills she learned, were used in the skill demonstration that is part of the hiring process of Deped. Also, the ALS teachers who finished the skills training on bread and pastry production adopted the training by teaching twelve (12) students in bread and pastry production and passing the assessment for NC II in bread and pastry production. Based on the gathered responses from the beneficiaries, the reason they joined the training programs under Kaaraman ko, Iwaras ko, is that they wanted to learn the skills provided by the program and apply it to their homes. Hence, there is a high percentage for the adoption of skills for home or personal use. 151 International Peer Reviewed Journal Program’s help in augmenting the beneficiaries’ family income Table 2. Augmentation of the Family Income of the Beneficiaries Indicators The program helps you by: Frequency Amount Saving in the daily expenses 55 Php. 200.00 / week Increase in income 15 Average of Php. 500.00/ month Table 2 shows the way the program helped in the augmentation of the family income of the beneficiaries. The program helped the beneficiaries in saving from their daily expenses, 55 beneficiaries claimed that on an average, they save Php. 200.00 weekly and 15 beneficiaries have an increase of income worth Php. 500.00 on a monthly average. Beneficiaries’ personal development Based from the results, the respondents agree (3.94 weighted mean) that their stress was reduced and they strongly agree that they now put more value on the skills that they have and put it into good use to earn extra income. These two factors, stress reduction and skills were valuing boosted their self-esteem and contributed to their personal development. Table 3. Effect of the Program on Personal Development Effect Indicators Weighted Mean Verbal Interpretation Rank Contribution of family development in the community 3.06 Agree 3 Reduced stress. 3.29 Agree 2 Skills valuing 3.94 Strongly Agree 1 152 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Assessment of the extension program Table 2. Assessment of the Effect of Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras Ko: An Extension Program Effect Indicators Weighted Mean Verbal Interpretation Rank Acquired knowledge 1. awareness of different skills that may provide employment 3.9 Strongly agree 1 2. Increase family’s household income 3.51 Strongly agree 3 3. Learning through experience 3.56 Strongly Agree 2 Acquired Skills 1. Sustain the family’s basic needs 3.68 Agree 1 2. Providing family monetary savings 3.04 Agree 3 3. Personality development 3.52 Agree 2 Acquired Attitudes 1. Contribution of family development in the community 3.06 Agree 3 2. Reduce stress. 3.29 Agree 2 3. Skills valuing 3.94 Strongly Agree 1 Composite Mean 3.5 Strongly agree Legend: 3.50–4.00 Strongly Agree; 2.50–3.49Agree; 1.50–2.49 Disagree; 1.00–1.49 Strongly Disagree Table 2 shows the assessment of the effect of Kaaraman Ko, Iwaras ko: A community extension program. The overall assessment was high as revealed by the composite mean value of 3.5, which means the respondents “strongly agree” that the program has a positive effect on their lives. In terms of acquired knowledge, “awareness of different skills that may provide employment” (3.9) was ranked first, while “Increase in the family’s household income” was ranked last. This shows that the respondents were aware of what skills they should acquire so they would have more job opportunities. This is supported by the 153 International Peer Reviewed Journal paper of El Mansour and Dean (2016), which states that a person who has the skills aligned to the trending employability opportunities is more likely to have a job than those who are skilled but not in need. “Increase in the family’s household income” was ranked last; In terms of acquired skills, “sustaining the family’s basic needs” (3.68) was ranked first and “providing family monetary savings” (3.04) was ranked last; In terms of acquired attitudes, “skills valuing” (3.94) was ranked first, while “contribution of my family development in the community” (3.06) was last in the ranking. The performance of the beneficiaries was evaluated by demonstrating the skills they acquired. This showed that learning by experience is an effective way of teaching technology skills. Kolb (2014), cites that experiential learning is a powerful and proven approach to teaching and learning. People learn best through experience. In terms of acquired skills, “Sustain the family’s basic needs” was first in rank. This showed that the respondents give priority in providing for the basic needs of their families. The program taught them skills that gave some of the beneficiary’s better chances in employment, while other beneficiaries used those skills to earn extra income by putting up viable small enterprises. This is supported by the responses of the beneficiaries in the focused group discussions and interviews which says that they have generated income by using the skills they acquired from the project training activities. Ranke third in terms of acquired skills is “providing the family of monetary savings.” According to the accumulated responses, after they finished the training, their weekly family income increased by Php. 500.00. In terms of acquired attitudes, “skills valuing” ranked first. People had the skills but didn’t know how to earn with it. In Kaaraman ko, Iwaras ko program, the beneficiaries were trained in various technical skills. They were taught how important a skilled person is in the industry. In terms of employment, companies and institutions hire individuals that have the necessary skills. So, it is an edge if you do have the skills needed in the industry. The training projects of the program addressed the need for skilled individuals in some of the industries in the Philippines. Last in rank in terms of acquired attitudes is the “contribution of family development in the community.” This may be a result of how the people were raised. Some people were groomed in a way that they focus only on their life and doesn’t realize that they are part of the community. Thus, they don’t realize how important they are in the community’s development and nation building. Overall, the participants strongly agree (3.5) that the extension program has a positive effect in their lives in terms of acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes, and augmenting the household income. 154 JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of the study, it can be said that the program brought a positive effect on the life of the beneficiaries. 1) Their personal development improved due to the reduction in stress, and a boost in self-esteem because they can now better provide for their families. 2) The beneficiaries applied the skills they learned from the program by putting up small businesses, using it as a means for employment, or applying it in their homes. 3) Because of the application of the skills they learned, the families of the beneficiaries are earning an extra Php500.00 monthly. RECOMMENDATION With the positive results of the assessment, It is recommended to (1) Conduct skills training program to other communities in the country; (2) Establish a capability training program like bookkeeping, which will help the beneficiaries in accounting the income generated from their business; (3) Collaborate with industries that could offer employment for the beneficiaries; and (4) The program could also be linked to the local government units of different municipalities. The LGU’s could provide the initial capital to the beneficiaries for them to start their small business, or at the least, the LGU’s can match the beneficiaries to companies looking for their particular set of skills. Another important thing to note, for future reference, is to secure in advance the documents and procure the materials needed for the program, to minimize the delay of the implementation of the program. TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH The essentials of the program could be distilled down to three pamphlets, one pamphlet for dress-making, one for baking and one for electrical wiring. The pamphlets will be composed of easy to understand instructions and, if needed, some illustrations to better help in understanding the concepts. These would be disseminated to different communities to give them an initial idea on what the program is all about. The pamphlets can also serve as their initial guide if they want to venture in at least one of the three disciplines that is being taught in the program. 155 International Peer Reviewed Journal LITERATURE CITED Audhoe, S. S., Hoving, J. L., Sluiter, J. K., & Frings-Dresen, M. H. (2010). Vocational interventions for unemployed: effects on work participation and mental distress. A systematic review.  Journal of occupational rehabilitation,  20(1), 1-13. Retrieved from DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/ s10926-009-9223-y CHED Memo No. 52 S. 2016. 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