QC to help provide jobs to SHS graduates

THE Quezon City government has mandated the creation of a senior high school (SHS) graduate skills registration database that will refer students to relevant job and training opportunities.

The Quezon City Council, presided by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, has approved Ordinance No. 2719 authored by District 5 Councilor Alyson Medalla to stipulate the creation of the “Senior High School Graduate Skills Registration Program” in Quezon City.

“With the K-12 curriculum, the city must provide services specific to the needs of senior high school students. This time, we want to connect senior high school graduates who want to work immediately with companies that can recruit them and training programs that can further develop their skills,” Belmonte said.

According to recent figures from the 2018 Fresh Graduate Report from JobStreet.com Philippines, only “24 percent of employers in the country” are willing to hire K-12 graduates.

“With these figures, we from the local government have to help address the challenge and try to bridge the gap between the competencies of K-12 graduates and the demand for them,” Belmonte said.

The SHS skills registration program, as stated in the ordinance, is aimed to “capture the available talents of … SHS graduates, provide additional intermediary services to ensure employability and link available manpower supply and demand.”

Through the management and supervision of the Quezon City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in coordination with the local Schools Division Office (SDO), the program provides a database where Grade 12 students can sign up with the Skills Registration Form to be submitted to PESO.

The form, said Belmonte, will also be available online and can be accessed through a link so that more techsavvy senior high school students can participate.

PESO, in coordination with SDO and the Department of Education (DepEd), will collate the registration forms and maintain the database of registrants who will then receive referrals for local employment, invites to job fairs, access to employment skills training and other relevant services.

The database is open to registrants who are graduates of public as well as private and non-DepEd senior high schools.

According to 2010 data, the city has the largest school-age population in the country numbered at 1.88 million. Of these, more than 50,000 are students enrolled in senior high school.