Are Senior High School Graduates Job Ready?

The first batch of Grade 12 students graduated last March, completing the K to
12 Basic Education Program. The Department of Education (DepEd) envisioned the
SHS program to produce graduates prepared for higher education and capable of
starting their own businesses or land a job even without a college degree. The
graduation will let the learners decide on what to continue on the four exits envisioned
for SHS graduates – higher education, entrepreneurship, employment, or middle-level
skills development – so that they will become full-fledged contributors to social
development and nation-building as envisioned by the Department.

It is part of the K-12 enhanced basic education program legislated in 2013 to

“create a functional basic education system that will develop productive and responsible
citizens equipped with the essential competencies, skills and values for both lifelong
learning and employment.” In fact, work Immersion is a key subject under the SHS
Curriculum that may be conducted in different ways and time frame as needed by SHS
learners. The subject will provide learners with opportunities to become familiar with the
work place; for employment simulation; and to apply their competencies in areas of
specialization/applied subjects in authentic work environments. It is the equivalent of on
the job training for more matured college students who are about to graduate. Work
Immersion, to provide learners with access to industry partners’ facilities and
employment simulation where they are given opportunities to apply their competencies,
gain practical industrial skills, and develop good work ethics and values relevant to
pursuing further education and/or joining the world of work.

In a statement, DepEd said that it recognizes the PCCI’s regarding the minimum
number of training hours of SHS graduates but maintained “its confidence in the strong
partnerships it has forged and continues to foster with different industry partners” that
enable SHS graduates “to strike a balance between theory and practice” – specifically
through Work Immersion. DepEd is also keen to note that the K to 12 Basic Education
Program has equipped SHS graduates with values, knowledge, and skills that
communities, businesses, and industries need through its four exits: higher education,
entrepreneurship, employment, or middle-level skills development.