DOLE: Are senior high graduates landing jobs?

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas has ordered the Labor Tripartite Council in Education (LTCE) to see whether senior high school graduates are actually getting jobs in the market.

In a recent meeting with DOLE members, LTCE was urged to look into the effectiveness of senior high school and see whether its graduates have landed jobs.

In 2011, the Department of Education made the historic shift from the 10-year basic education curriculum to the Kinder to 12 Program (K-12) in phases.

“We know very well that senior high does not guarantee employment but it does open up a lot of opportunities for students either for higher education, employment or entrepreneurship,” said DOLE-7 Director Salome Siaton in a statement yesterday.

Siaton said the labor agency seeks to see the employment rate among senior high graduates.

“Our concern here is to check on the skills available in the labor force vis a vis the skills requirements of the different industries, especially those that are considered key employment generators in Central Visayas,” she added.

Latest data from the National Economic and Development Authority in Region 7, construction, business process management (BPM) and tourism remained as the region's economic growth drivers.

Those industries also emerged in DOLE-7’s Project Jobsfit 2022 Report as key employment generators in Central Visayas.

Siaton urged the LTCE to seriously look into the concern and see what the council could possibly do to help address the job skills mismatch that is still haunting the region’s labor market.

“It is very important to note if we have the right skills or the lack thereof while putting into consideration the requirements of the employers. If there is monitoring done on the placement of Senior High graduates for instance, then we will be equipped with the right reference and guidance especially if there is a need to revisit the existing curriculum of our educational institutions,” she said.

LTCE is one of the industry tripartite councils addressing favorable labor-management relations among establishments in Central Visayas. — JMD