Employable

Our K-12 educational system is being blamed by a senator for failing to make our young people employable after senior high school.

- BOO CHANCO

Employability was K-12's promise when it was adopted a decade ago.

Blaming K-12 for the failure is wrong. Blame the legislators and education experts for including so many useless subjects that take time away from the basic skills that must be learned to prepare our youth for real job markets.

PIDS studies say the SHS curriculum is "congested" and misaligned with what the labor market needs. DepEd itself agrees SHS needs more time for practical immersion.

The problem goes beyond SHS. Employers also complain about college graduates who do not have the skills necessary for their entry-level jobs.

National tracer studies (SY 2017-2018 SHS grads) show 82.7 percent went on to higher education, while only 10.2 percent were employed straight after SHS. Among those employed, those who chose the technical vocational track had a slightly higher rate (9.7 percent) than those who chose the academic or college prep track (6.2 percent) in securing entry-level work.

The cultural bias against technical and vocational training is also quite strong.

Not the case in Germany with its dual system which bridges education and employment in a very direct, effective way. It produces job-ready graduates with both the theoretical knowledge and practical experience industries need.

The so-called dual tech system ensures businesses can deploy skilled labor immediately. Its success is due to strong industry alignment.

Apprentices split their time between vocational schools and on-the-job training at a company (usually three to four days work plus one to two days school per week). This gives them both strong theoretical foundations and workplace hands-on skills.

Training content and certifications are co-designed by employers, trade unions and the state. This ensures alignment with current technologies, including digital and AI trends.