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There are no boring moments for students from Tarlac State
University (TSU) who are undergoing the innovative
on-the-job-training (OJT) program offered by Smart Communications
Inc. called SWEEP (Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program).
“[Company] engineers expose us to real work
situations to prepare us for a successful career in
telecommunications . . . they are very eager to share their
knowledge,” says Miljona Bañaga, a student in electronics and
communications engineering (ECE).
The SWEEP OJT program integrates lecture,
equipment orientation, base station OJT and wireless broadband OJT.
The program can accommodate about 300 students at any given time as
it is conducted by Smart engineers in their offices nationwide.
“We teach the students the basics of wireless
and broadband technology, signaling, equipment maintenance,
troubleshooting and new technologies,” says Ariel Bayaban,
engineer-in-charge of the PLDT-Smart office in Tarlac City.
According to Bayaban, Smart’s partnership with
schools is mutually beneficial. “The students and the faculty
learn from the technology shared by our engineers, while SMART
benefits from the additional manpower provided by the participants
of the OJT program.”
Nine ECE and computer science (CS) students from
TSU are undergoing OJT at the Tarlac office. Besides Bañaga, they
are Carla Marie Briones, Jocelyn David, Jerican Manuel, Rolly
Pacaldo Jr., Michael Sagum, Jessy Romel Simbul, Regine Taguines and
Joana Marie Tiqui. ECE students are required to complete 280 hours
of training while CS students have to finish 172 hours.
Arnold Pineda, who is in charge of the current
batch of OJT participants from TSU, reveals that training begins
with a weeklong orientation and equipment tour of the PLDT-Smart
switching exchange office.
“The lectures cover topics in basic GSM Systra,
TCP-IP, CDMA, AMPS, ETACS, 3G, WiFi, Basic Optimization and
knowledge on Smart value-added services,” he says.
This is followed by a base station training that
includes operation and maintenance, transmission, preventive
maintenance, drive tests and benchmarking.
The last part of the SWEEP OJT program covers
WiFi technology. The students are taught how to install WiFi canopy
in cell sites and how to address technical problems.
“ECE students today are very fortunate because
Smart has set up wireless laboratories within the campuses of the
SWEEP partner schools. The partner schools provide the space for the
lab while the company handles the civil works, installation,
commissioning, and maintenance of the GSM equipment,” shares
Pineda.
Pineda says that under SWEEP, Smart also
provides seminars at the school for both the students and the
teachers. Topics covered include introduction to GSM technology;
evolution of wireless communications; system training; General
Packet Radio Services; Short Message Services; and Multi-media
Message Services, WiFi Overview and 3G Systra.
SMART launched SWEEP in 2003 to raise the level
of engineering and technology education in the Philippines by
bridging the gap between theory and practice and increase the
graduates’ chances of employment.
Michael Sagum, who first thought that he would
find the OJT boring, now says he is enjoying the experience of being
with fellow students and learning from SMART engineers. “I have
gained not only knowledge but also confidence for actual ECE work
when I graduate.”
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