DepEd, PSAC ink work immersion deal for SHS

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) to pilot an enhanced work immersion program for senior high school (SHS) students to improve their skills and employability.

“This MOA gives our students the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience while still studying. In that way, it follows the President’s marching orders to us to do everything we can to improve the quality of our education and boost the chances of our graduates at landing better earning opportunities,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.

The MOA was signed on Aug. 8 by Angara and officials of the PSAC Jobs Committee and PSAC’s non-profit, non-stock corporate arm Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation (PCORP).

The PSAC Jobs Committee members, together with PSAC strategic convener Sabin Aboitiz, organized PCORP as a non-profit, non-stock corporation to serve as its legal entity in organizing a well-coordinated government-industry-academe national movement aimed at solving the jobs-skills mismatch problem in the country.

Among the key provisions of the MOA are enhanced work immersion experience for students, curriculum alignment allowing more hours for students to learn skills aligned with current industry standards, teachers’ training to effectively guide students in their journey and job fairs and job matching opportunities nationwide.

The DepEd said it has recently been conducting workshops and consultations with PSAC, along with school heads and industry partners, to establish guidelines for the pilot program that is set to begin this school year.

The DepEd said ten schools across the country, including one specializing in the Alternative Learning System, are set to participate in the pilot program.

The DepEd said these schools can choose their focus areas such as information technology and business process management, tourism and hospitality, agriculture and entrepreneurship, manufacturing and other sectors which are known for their high demand for workers and abundant job opportunities.