News Release: Career-coaching prepares students for labor force BY APRIL M. MONTES DAGUPAN CITY, September 27 (PIA) – School counselors and coaches have been tapped to prepare students to work the ladder from education to work and help them meet their future bosses’ standards. Through a career advocacy, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the Ilocos gathered high school and college guidance counselors for a two-day seminar to make career guidance a new approach in preparing students for employment. The labor department partnered with the Regional Network of Guidance Counselors and Coaches in holding the event from September 18-19 at the Leisure Coast Resort here. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the congress sought to increase counselors’ awareness level on key employment generators, what jobs await graduates, whether they are first-timers or have been seeking jobs for the longest time or were moving from another company. “Transition from education to work is short. Graduates will be able to immediately make use of the education or investment they have. The biggest challenge is how to ensure that graduates have very high employability and they are competitive,” Baldoz said. She said school coaches will also help graduates improve their skills to match employers’ requirements with the qualifications that they bring with them beyond their diploma because of balanced curricula. Baldoz said the congress was one of the convergence programs that have been put together at the Human Resource and Poverty Reduction Cluster (HRPRC) pursuant to President Aquino’s marching orders in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) to minimize labor mismatch in the labor market. Career guidance advocacy is being done nationwide through the labor department in partnership with networks of guidance counselors from high schools, colleges and universities, employers’ groups, People Management Association of the Philippines, industry associations and other government agencies like the DepEd, CHED, TESDA, PRC, OWWA, POEA, DOT and others. Baldoz said career guidance is linked with other elements of the HRPRC such as the development of the Philippine Qualification Framework (PQF) and the optimal use of the electronic job portal, Phil-JobNet. “Through the PQF, schools’ training and course curriculum of even technical-vocational schools are reviewed to keep them aligned with industry requirements,” she said. According to Baldoz, the PQF is at done at the national level while an Asian team (led by the Philippines) handles the regional qualifications reference framework. “This is in preparation for Asian Integration 2013 where we would see the mobility of our skilled workers and professionals in such a way that they will be covered by mutual recognition arrangement,” said Baldoz. She said the framework tries to change the mindset of professionals who see the need to leave the country only for employment purposes. “(That mindset will change) such that they leave the country to practice their profession,” she added. Baldoz said the department will also optimize Phil-JobNet, which is a facility where employers can lodge their vacancies and job applicants can also log in their curriculum vitae. She said if the job requirements match the applicants’ qualifications, the latter could get as much as five referrals to companies. She explained that the biggest challenge is when the applicant comes face to face with the employer during interviews where language proficiency, ability to answer and articulate factor in the hiring process. “(They need to invest) in on-the-job trainings where the student learns creativity and innovation when faced with problems, proficiency in communicating, patience, work habits and work attitude,” Baldoz said. (MCA/AMM PIA-1 Pangasinan/DOLE)
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 01:33:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015