Proposal to Lower the Unemployment Rates Among Graduate University Students in Puerto Rico

Alek Lopez

Issis Cruz

Patricia Maymi

Jorge Rodriguez

INGL 3236–030

June 12, 2017

Proposal to Lower the Unemployment Rates Among Graduate University Students in Puerto Rico

Introduction

In this proposal, we will address the problem of unemployment among graduate students. Our main goal is to elaborate a plan that has realistic goals for our public school without exceeding costs. Unemployment in general is affecting the entire island, we decided to focus on graduate students because good jobs are very difficult to find these days without experience.

Background

Unemployment statistics reveal that the lack of employment mainly affects our young professionals recently graduated from college. They face the struggle of finding a job in a very competitive market due to their shortcomings in: training, the skills required for the position, the necessary experience, etc. This situation in which young people undergo in the labor world, leads them to conform, by necessity, with a job that does not fulfill the expectations for which they have sacrificed or that is not related to the concentration of the baccalaureate just received. This situation also leads them to pick their things and look for a future in the United States.

Description of Solution

Our proposed solution consists of offering an optional additional year to the curriculum which would focus on making the person, in this case the student, more “valuable” for companies, entrepreneurial and working environments, thus giving the person a higher chance of being hired faster and more productively, diminishing the grave problem we have. The classes would be given by the chosen entity (university), which means that the structures themselves would be the same ones that already stand in their campus, eliminating the need to build new ones. The classrooms that would be used to offer these courses are the ones that are vacant or that are not used at one time or another, putting them to good use.

The courses would consist of a variety of themes that will enhance the skills and knowledge needed in a work space, such as the ethics in work environment and leadership, paired with strict enforcement of responsibility, such as being on time, doing all the works and attending to class. But the content of the courses would be ultimately decided by the entity that has the program and its personnel. The qualifications for hiring the staff will be discussed under “Qualifications”.

Student Extended Learning Program:

• Communication – Public speaking, Non-Verbal and Written Communication
• Leadership – Team Work, Decision-Making, Planning
• Personal Development – Personal Presentation, Time Management, Building Confidence, Negotiation, Stress Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Employment – Resume, CV, Job Application, Covering Letter, LinkedIn Profile, Interview
• Work Experience

Benefits  

The primary benefits that will accrue from the implementation of this proposal will be felt by the students especially when they enter the working environment. The proposal will benefit students as they will be able to get increased experience in regards to the job and career they seek to join. The current state of affairs dictates that students have to spend an extended period of time after completing their university studies with a job or internship. This limits the experience they would have yet it is a requirement in getting a job. Moreover, the additional year in school will help improve the skills and competencies of the students in regards to the career they seek. The additional learning period will be more focused on the skills needed in the job market. The skills and competencies that will be taught during this period include communication skills, planning skills, analytical skills and leadership skills. Such skills are vital in any job, and our students will have an upper hand when it comes to job interviews especially when compared with students from other institutes.

The benefits of the program will not only be felt by the students but also the university. The University would enjoy a higher turnover rate of the students as more students will be joining the university on the premise that they stand a higher chance of getting a job after college if they enrolled at University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Parents, guardians, and students are more comfortable with universities that improve the chance of the student to get a job after their studies.

The proposed program for graduate students will involve awareness and participation of different companies and human resource organizations. The involvement especially through seminars will aid in creating a platform in which the students and the potential employers can meet. This will reduce the hiring costs on the side of the companies as they will have a ready pool of knowledgeable, experienced and skilled individuals ready to join their workforce. Therefore, the proposed student extended learning program will accrue benefits to the different companies that will be tapping from the student pool in the proposed plan.

Method and Procedure

The proposed solution on extending a year of university to soon-to-be-graduates for leadership courses and training, similar to an internship, involves different phases:

Phase 1: Informing the University        

Before any hiring or anything else, first we must inform the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez about this program and how it will benefit students. They also will decide whether we can begin the program in its campus and use the classrooms that are available.

Phase 2: Research on Qualities Companies Look For 

For companies the process of hiring new employees can be time consuming and costly. Businesses want to have as many hard-working personnel as possible, if not, the company will not work as efficient. There are certain qualities companies look for when hiring new employees, which often can be discovered in the first interview. The courses given in the program will be based on leadership roles, teamwork projects, working on speech both in English and Spanish, and responsiveness.