Hire K-12 graduates, businessmen urged
VICE President Sara Duterte appealed to the business sector to consider hiring K-12 graduates as the government is taking more effective and efficient steps on how to prepare them to be competitive.
Duterte, also the Education Secretary, made the call during the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 48th Business Conference last Wednesday at the Manila Hotel.
According to Duterte, there is a disparity in the hiring preference of the labor sector which hugely requires high educational attainment.
“This is a comment from the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) that there is a diploma mentality in our country. Kailangan ba’ng graduate ng four years college ang mga ine-employ ng ating mga industries?” Duterte said.
Meanwhile, she said the DEPED is taking necessary steps to resolve gaps and produce quality K-12 graduates who are backed with skills and ready for employment.
“The DEPED is already working on how to make our Grades 11-12 ready for work and are skilled-ready when they graduate from the K-12 program because the only mandatory education that is required is basic education and that is kindergarten to grade 12.
“So we hope that when we are finished with our task of making sure that our graduates, our grade 12 graduates, are ready. We hope to see the support of your sector in making sure that our grade 12 graduates are hired and employed by the industries that you participate in,” she said.
Duterte cited the business sector’s integral role in revitalizing the country’s post-pandemic economy.
She stressed that the efforts to strategize the country’s economic revival “complement government’s efforts to bring about growth and development across the country and benefit all sectors, especially the underprivileged and those lacking economic opportunities, access to livelihood, and employment.” By Jester Manalastas and Arlene Rivera
