Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

I. Introduction

A. Background of the Study

The study aimed to determine the perceptions of the Senior High Schools on their

Employability Skills and the relevance of these skills to seek decent employment and career

development. The rapid changes that are happening in today’s world largely affect the labor force,

such that the growing competition for employment is confronting the majority of fresh graduates

from universities and other learning institutions.

Knowing the qualities that the employers are looking for applicants is deemed

imperative for the learning institutions (Ramli et al., 2010). Chung and Yet (2009), as cited in Ali

et al. (2014), argued that having good credentials and appropriate degree program does not

guarantee employment as present industries today are looking for technical expertise or “hard

skills”, at the same time they are counting candidates ‟employability skills” or “soft skills”

(Buntat, 2013). Employability skills is defined by Rothwell and Arnold (2007), as cited in Mohd

Yusof, et al. (2012), as the ability to survive in a job. These skills are required in all kinds of job.

Kearns (2001), as cited in Mohd Yusof, et al. (2012), listed employability skills as: i) the

availability of work and individual work capacity, ii) knowledge in entrepreneurship, iii) the

creative and innovative, interpersonal skills and iv) thinking and willingness to learn.
Statement of Problem

As the country shifted from the old high school curriculum to K to 12, the changes have confused

both parents and incoming high school students. Thus, everyone has to keep up with them and

hope for better results. As we expect senior high school graduates to move up, the Department of

Education claims, with full confidence, to produce a job-ready batch. Although the K12 mandate

earned feedback, the first batch of Grade 12 students will graduate this coming March. Today,

most firms are looking for rather skilled and job-market ready graduates to help them grow their

business. In particular, the K12 program in the Philippines aims to shape the youth for college and

prepare them for the job-market. Canon and Edukasyon.ph surveyed over 600 senior high

schoolers about their plans after SHS and what challenges they’d face along each path. They asked

whether they wanted to go to college, work, start a business, or are undecided. They also asked

why students are pursuing their chosen paths as well as what challenges are stopping them.

Objective of the study

The purpose of this research is to determine the causes how they plan to go to after

graduation and what they want to do. To determine the advantages and disadvantages of their

future plans.
Specifically, this study aims:

1. To assess the student of future plans of senior high school students.

2. To identify the factors that determine the future plans and career plans of senior high

students.

Significance of Study

The result of this study serves as benefit and information to the following people:

Upcoming Senior High School Students- This study enables them to have further plans for their

future. This also makes them save money and properly choose the needed and most fit strand for

them. In this way, they will realize why k-12 program is necessary and how complicated the

decisions they will be making for going to be an independent person which is normally experienced

by all of us.

Parents- This study will serve as a big help for their child's future. This may be an information

for them to guide their children and know how to encounter possible problems they will be

having. This will also make them extra ready financially.

Teachers- In this way, they will prepare and aware students on the journey that they will go

through. They will ready them in decision making on going through obstacles they may

encounter after graduating.

Government- They can come up of ideas to help students for better results of our economy in

terms of having work and proceeding to college. They may have scholarships which can be

considered as a big help in the situations that our country is having, especially the economy

improvement in the increase of works that a senior high graduate can apply to because currently

our country is having a problem in case of works that people will have and will not have.

B. Scope and the Limitations

This study focuses on Senior High School students of Suarez National High School.

This study covers the Senior High Students and what their plan after graduating. This study will

not include the Junior High Students.

C. Definition of Terms

To fully understand the study, the researches define terms used in the research.
 D. Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

Chung and Yet (2009), as cited in Ali et al. (2014), argued that having good

credentials and appropriate degree program does not guarantee employment as present industries

today are looking for technical expertise or “hard skills”, at the same time they are counting

candidates ‟employability skills” or “soft skills” (Buntat, 2013). Employability skills is defined by

Rothwell and Arnold (2007), as cited in Mohd Yusof, et al. (2012), as the ability to survive in a

job. These skills are required in all kinds of job. Kearns (2001), as cited in Mohd Yusof, et al.

(2012), listed employability skills as: i) the availability of work and individual work capacity, ii)

knowledge in entrepreneurship, iii) the creative and innovative, interpersonal skills and iv)

thinking and willingness to learn. As the relationship of sufficient level of literacy to the

employability skills remains uncertain, there is a question of whether schools can provide young

people with the wider skills they require to enter the working environment. Education was one of

the most important methods in developing Presented at the DLSU Research Congress 2018 De La

Salle University, Manila, Philippines June 20 to 22, 2018 the qualities as well as the characteristics

of the personnel so as to be well along with the requirements of the businesses in the country.

Sermsuk (2014) explained that some necessary basic skills such as calculation, literacy and

technology could always ensure an employment.

 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND RELATED STUDIES

A. Review of Related Literature

Unemployment rate in the country is commonly associated with the misfit graduates produced by
universities and colleges and the workforce needed by different companies. The wrong choice of
course taken by most of high school students adds to the unemployment and underemployment
rate of newly graduate students. With this the study determined the factors affecting the fourth-
year high school students’ career preference of University of Rizal System’ Laboratory School in
Morong Rizal. The relationship of the factors affecting students’ preference of course to their
career preference, Brainard’s Occupational Preference Inventory (BOPI) results, academic
achievement and their elective grades were considered. Frequency, percentage and chi-square were
used as statistical treatments. The findings revealed that the availability of work after college is
the first consideration of students in choosing a course in college. Most of the students prefer to
take scientific related field courses, or the “popular courses” for Filipinos. The least preferred
course are in the Agricultural field. The BOPI results showed that most of the student-respondents
are suited to take professional courses. Students’ preferred course is related to their BOPI result as
well as to their father’s occupation. Other factors such as mother’s occupation, monthly family
income, students’ sibling position and students’ third year general average grades are not related
to the students’ preferred course in college to their BOPI results. BOPI results are significantly
related to the students’ elective course grades.

Students’ career success can be best attained if proper guidance is given in choosing the right
course in college, suited to students’ personality, ability and intellect.

B. Review of Related Studies

Over the years, secondary education was once viewed as academic preparation for

entrance of higher education, but today, one of its major thrusts is to help the students develop

skills that will help the students to land on a job. In the Philippines, the Basic Education Program
known as the Republic Act No. 10533 series 2012 was signed into law on May 15, 2013 intended

to improve the quality of the high school graduates. These new graduates are envisaged to become

more competitive in the global business arena and to bring more success that would contribute

towards building the nation and be at par with the rest of the world (Acosta & Acosta, 2016). The

School year 2016-2017 saw the full implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program. In

2017, at least 33, 000 classrooms were constructed, 5000 Senior High Schools established, and 1,

866 private schools offering Senior High School to meet the requirements of the senior high school

program (DepEd, 2017). DepEd has also hired more than 37, 000 Senior High School teachers

since 2016. Senior High School prepares the students for higher learning as subjects from the Basic

Education Program from the General Education program of the College Level were transferred to

the Senior High School. More importantly, the additional two years of High School will prepare

the students employment, entrepreneurship, and skills development as the students undergo a core

curriculum and subjects under their chosen strands. The school year 2016-2017 saw the first year

of implementation of the Senior High School Program in the Division of Tarlac. 57 National High

Schools, 46 Private Schools and 1 LUC/SUC or a total of 104 SHS Schools were initially opened

to accommodate 16, 863 SHS students enrolled in 7 Academic Tracks namely: Accountancy,

Business and Management, General Academic Track, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science,

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Arts and Design Track, Sports Track, and Technical-

Vocational Livelihood Track. This school year 2017-2018, the number of Public High School

offering Senior High School Program increased from 57 to 65 and 10,875 and 9, 891 students are

admitted in Grade 11 and 12, respectively (DepED Tarlac Report, 2017). In the first semester of

SY 2007-2018, 53 out of 65 Public High Schools are offering TVL, 49 out of 65 Public High

Schools are offering GAS, 16 Public High Schools offering HUMMS, 15 Public High Schools
offering ABM, 16 Public High Schools offering STEM, 4 Public High Schools are offering Sports,

and 4 Public High Schools are offering Arts & Design. In the competitive world, graduates not

only need to be successful in academic achievements, but also need to possess the relevant skills

in order to be employed by future employers (Ali et al., 2014). One of the factors to gauge the

effectiveness of an academic institution is through the employability of its graduates (AARJMD,

2013). The quality of graduates is a very much function of quality instruction of facilities because

these will help to ensure that graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values that

will enable them to work in their respective field. Hence, the objective of the study is to obtain the

perceptions of the Senior High School students on their employability skills to determine if the

school has helped them developed these employability skills which may serve as a basis in gauging

the efficacy of the K to 12 Program.

In our senior high schools most of the planning is done by school teachers and administrators

without consideration for the students’ point of view. The making of rules and regulations,

setting up of courses of study, scheduling extra-curricular activities, and the planning of social

functions has been carried on by school officials with little thought given to how the students feel

about those things. Many theoretical conclusions have been drawn by these people as to what

problems students face, and how to solve them. Much of the planning is done in a very arbitrary

manner with no regard for the student and his difficulty in adapting himself to a synthetic pattern

of procedure. Often this lack of consideration results in a maladjustment of student and school

which is harmful to both. It is necessary to know and understand students in order to guide them

properly. Students will express themselves more freely if they know that their names need not

appear on their responses.