In 2015, it is projected that university graduates from the Philippines will have the option to seek employment in the ASEAN region without needing a work visa. Graduates will need credentials that show prospective employers that they have the needed technical competence, and the ability to communicate in the workplace.

Having already passed the ABET accreditation to ensure that engineering degrees will be recognized in the ASEAN region, Mapua chose the TOEIC® tests to certify the communication skills of all its graduates. Mapua becomes the first University in the Philippines to certify all four skills of English, namely: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing.

The TOEIC® test is the most widely recognized credential for English in the workplace with 6 million test takers a year in over 120 countries. With the TOEIC® Test, candidates are now able to demonstrate to prospective employers that they have the ability to communicate in English as it is spoken, written and heard in the global workplace.

"We hope that with this endeavor [of signing an agreement with Hopkins] that we had, the English proficiency of all Mapuans will greatly improve. Also, we see that this will attest that Mapuans do not just excel in Mathematics, but in English Communication as well," said Center for Continuing Education and Special Competencies (CCESC) Director, Engr. Glenn O. Avendaño.

During the first quarter of the school year, 366 students from both the Mapua Makati and Intramuros campuses took the TOEIC® Listening & Reading test, as well the TOEIC® Speaking & Writing tests. This year, all engineering students taking their Eng13 (terminal English course) from Mapua will have two international credentials, namely: a degree that is recognized by ABET, and a TOEIC® certification for their communication skills. This will demonstrate to employers worldwide that Mapua Graduates have the 21st century skills needed to compete in today's international workplace.