Gov’t urged to take a chance on fresh grads with right skills
Even without civil service licenses
SKILLS-MATCHING should take precedence over civil service eligibility when the government needs workers, Partido Reporma presidential candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said, as he has appealed to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to relax its requirements for new college graduates who want to enter public service.
Lacson revealed this following a dialogue with voters in Daet, Camarines Norte during his campaign sortie there with running mate Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Partido Reporma’s senatorial candidates.
This also dovetails with the three-term senator’s belief that not all who pass a civil service exam have the ability and skills that are apt for the needs of the government position they are seeking.
No one should be denied a chance to get employed, especially with so many Filipinos losing jobs amid the global coronavirus pandemic, Lacson said. But he also encouraged those who haven’t taken a licensure exam to do so, with the government lowering COVID-19 restrictions to Alert Level 1 or the “new normal.”
A new graduate, Michael John Balang of San Lorenzo Ruiz, posed this question to the longtime public servant, as the young man said he could not get a job even with his fresh college degree in Agriculture.
“Hindi pa po ako nakakapasa ng license. So, ngayon po kami pong hindi pa nakakapasa nahihirapan po kami, sir, maghanap ng trabaho. Kasi po ‘pag hindi po legitimate ‘yung graduate student nahihirapan po siyang pumasok ng trabaho,” Balang said.
Lacson said he understood that many dreams were dashed for new graduates, especially during the two-year COVID-19 pandemic, owing to the limitations of public lockdowns and minimum health standards.
In fact, the government has only recently resumed the conduct of licensure examinations for various fields, hence many college-age students like Balang have not taken any exams that would qualify them for a license to enter government service.
“Kausap din namin ang Civil Service Commission na kung saan ipinapakiusap namin na huwag masyadong mahigpit na hahanapan ng lisensya bago pumasok sa gobyerno. Sabi nila pag-aaralan nila,” Lacson told Balang.
“Kasi mas importante, para sa amin ‘yung tinatawag na skills matching. Kasi pwedeng nakapasa ka nga sa licensure pero ‘yung skill mo hindi naman umuugma doon sa mga opening. Maghanap sila doon sa mga hindi nakapasa pero ang skill naman niya, tama naman doon sa hinahanap na kulang na pwesto sa gobyerno,” the presidential bet added.
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