Nograles backs short courses for K-12 graduates

MANILA, Philippines — The chair of the House of committee on labor and employment yesterday expressed support for President Marcos’ idea of introducing short courses to improve the employability of  K-12 graduates. 

Panel head and Rizal lawmaker Fidel Nograles said “any project that would give a leg up to our graduates so they can find jobs as soon as possible is welcome.”

Nograles noted this is “good news” for K-12 graduates, as the introduction of short courses could be coordinated with the private sector to ensure that industry needs would be fulfilled.

“Of course, we do not operate in a vacuum. The private sector and the government need to work together to make sure that the short courses will be appropriate to the demands of the industry,” he added.

The program is being conceptualized following the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd)’s 2024 Jobs Outlook Study, showing 86.6 percent of employers in the Philippines are willing to hire K-12 graduates, while 13.4 percent of employers are “not keen on hiring them.” 

It has been 10 years since the K-12 program was implemented, but it is still unable to achieve its goal of improving the employability of graduates in the country. 

The President is looking at mini-courses of three to six months, or even one-year courses.

The PBEd survey also showed 88 percent of micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) and 78 percent of large companies are prepared to hire K-12 graduates. 

Some 42 percent of MSMEs and 63 percent of large companies have K-12 graduates as employees. 

“The survey results mean that the door is not closed for K-12 graduates to find jobs. Rather, it’s a matter of increasing the numbers, which I am optimistic we can achieve with the proper interventions,” Nograles said.