GRADUATES of the K-12 program are encountering obstacles to career growth, highlighting the need to further align education with industry demands, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said Thursday.
“Many individuals enter the workforce only to face limited opportunities for career growth. Even those with degrees often face dead ends in their careers and struggle to adapt to the evolving demands of the workplace,” PBEd Vice-Chairman Aurelio R. Montinola III said at a forum in Makati City.
PBEd has introduced the JobsNext program to equip participants with the skills needed for future jobs, focusing on fields like Information Communications Technology, digital marketing, cybersecurity, the green economy, and project management.
According to PBEd Executive Director Justine B. Raagas, K-12 graduates and even workers already in the labor force still find difficulty advancing in their careers due to the lack of skills necessary to rise to the “next level.”
To address this, she cited the need to tap training opportunities through upskilling programs and the gathering of micro-credentials while still working.
“This is happening in many global models and in many countries. People can learn while they’re earning and then they build their credentials. It becomes stackable. In fact, in other global models, it can be a diploma or it can be a higher-level certification,” she told reporters.
Additionally, Ms. Raagas said industries must also participate in recognizing and training students and workers for career growth.
A shift in mindset is also crucial to allow them to move up the ladder, she added.
She cited a PBEd survey that indicated that the share of employers willing to hire non-college graduates was initially only 40%.
“But then, with a lot of intervention and advocacy and getting them to take in senior high school students and graduates, it improved; it became 60%,” she said, noting that a mindset shift will only take place with the demonstration of a proof of concept.
“The challenge now is that the current mindset has always been perpetuated because of an oversupply also of college graduates…But the mindset has also been perpetuated because it’s the easiest thing to do,” she added.
The JobsNext bill (House Bill No. 945), filed by Quezon City Fifth District Representative Patrick Michael D. Vargas, is currently going through the legislative process.
The measure aims to transform JobsNext into a nationwide upskilling initiative, including the introduction of a skills voucher program to motivate and support the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce.
According to the World Economic Forum, about 92 million jobs could be displaced by 2030 due to the emergence of artificial intelligence.
In the Philippines, 68% of workers will need training to keep up with evolving skill demands, but only 38% have received such training so far — significantly lower than the global average of 50%. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
