A new alternative to business school
Chef Rob Pengson will help you perfect your pitch
Chef Rob Pengson will help you perfect your pitch
For many Filipinos, obtaining an MBA from a business school can open windows to better opportunities that could lead to successful careers and financial stability. Sadly, there are numerous reasons many of us can’t get enrolled in this type of school. Among them are the difficulties in meeting the school’s stringent qualifications, budget constraints, and the tight schedule of those who are already holding jobs.
Today, however, there’s a business school that admits students who work in other fields, especially those in the technical trade profession. It’s called the Integra Business School, which was founded in 2016. Located in Ortigas Center, it is open to technical trade professionals who want to learn more about entrepreneurship.
‘Culinary Arts schools train you to be a technician, not a manager, not an entrepreneur, and definitely not a restaurant owner. Being a technician is a great advantage but one needs to pair it with business management and entrepreneurial knowledge.’
Unlike Bachelor of Science degree holders, technical trade professionals aren’t qualified to enroll in business schools. Integra caters to a demand for a more practical, efficient, and affordable approach in teaching business to individuals. It also utilizes a solution that bridges the gap between mentor and student, by providing flexible schedules in various sites in an affordable class package.
One of Integra’s founders is a chef, Rob Pengson. He said many chefs like him finished their education in technical certificate culinary schools and thus aren’t Bachelor of Science degree holders. A lot of these chefs dream of establishing their own restaurants or food business, he explained.
“Culinary Arts schools train you to be a technician, not a manager, not an entrepreneur, and definitely not a restaurant owner. Being a technician is a great advantage but one needs to pair it with business management and entrepreneurial knowledge,” he said.
Operating a restaurant entails proficient managerial skills and strong business acumen. One needs the business expertise to ensure the success of the establishment. This expertise can be learned from business schools. If one can’t get accepted in a business school, he now has the option to enroll at Integra.
“The Integra Business School is the business school for everyone,” said Pengson. “It’s especially for those who aren’t qualified to learn the principles of top managers and executives. It’s for technicians and creative people. I believe that these people are just like me in that we think differently. We need a better way to learn about business. I also believe that all of us are engaged in our business so it’s a universal skill to have,” he said. “Integra focuses on speaking the language of today, imparting practical knowledge that is immediately actionable using only up-to-date principles. The core values of passion, professionalism, and proficiency are at the center of its day-today activities.”
Integra started offering its certificate program in Entrepreneurship, Digital Marketing, and Leadership last year. Dubbed “MBE,” or Master Class for Business and Entrepreneurship, the program includes lectures from mentors who happen to be active in their respective industries. The mentors include a restaurateur, a YouTube vlogger, a tech start-up founder, an EVP of a Fortune 500 company, an SEO professional, and a president of a service industry company. They impart their thoughts and ideas on what it takes to be an entrepreneur, what their challenges were, and their eventual successes.
So far, Integra has accepted over a hundred students. Most of them belong to the 28- to 38 year-old age bracket and are a mix of entrepreneurs and managers of private corporations. On the last day of one of the programs, the students presented their own business ideas in “pitches” to an audience of investors, businessmen, coaches, and mentors. One student, Clara Herrera, a former flight attendant, managed to raise a sizable amount of pledges to build her resort spa in Palawan.
“Clara was so good that we now have her as a guest lecturer,” noted Pengson. “We’ve noticed that our students get the funding they seek after attending Integra. They learned new skills and the language of business so they get to be taken seriously by investors. Their concepts become better, they make better financial forecasts, and implement leaner management principles.”
Integra also offers courses on Digital Marketing Fundamentals, LEAN Management, Strategic Management, and Entrepreneurial Finance, giving birth to an alternative program to the MBA, the Diploma in MBE (Management, Business Administration, and Entrepreneurship). It has also started mentoring sessions with former students, who seek more assistance in starting their ventures, and giving customized training programs to corporations and existing businesses.
Pengson said Integra is launching its online learning platform next year, thus giving even more students the opportunities to enroll.
He noted how furthering his education changed his life and career for the better and he wants to share what he has learned through Integra. “Combining creativity with entrepreneurship and the correct business management principles will help a person’s career in the same way it has helped me. I consider myself an even greater success whenever I see my students succeed in the real world,” he said.
Pengson is also set to open his own culinary school called Aleanza. Still, he considers himself first and foremost a chef and he continues to be busy in the culinary industry. Among his many plans is putting up a restaurant that will focus on a healthy food concept, a Japanese restaurant brand, and a fine dining restaurant and bar.