DepEd to offer fast-food restaurant training to SHS students

MANILA, Philippines — Senior high school students will soon have the option to take a food service curriculum co-developed by the Department of Education and the Jollibee Group that would blend classroom lessons with on-the-job training in the fast-food giant's restaurants.

The quick service restaurant (QSR) curriculum will be piloted in schools nationwide under DepEd’s technical professional (TechPro) track for senior high school students, a news release from the Jollibee Group read.

The curriculum will be designed to train students in restaurant operations, including food preparation, customer service, workplace communication and safety and sanitation standards.

The program will "integrate classroom-based instruction with immersive on-the-job training across Jollibee Group brands."

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd's partnership with the fast food giant is a "strong example" of how public-private cooperation can make learning more “industry-relevant.” 

"At a time when AI and tech disruption are reshaping industries and jobs, this collaboration gives our learners not only the right skills but also the resilience to thrive," Angara said.

The program’s work immersion component is set to start in the upcoming school year, according to the news release.

Learnings from the pilot session will determine whether the curriculum can be expanded to more schools.

This new food service curriculum for senior high school students comes as the senior high program itself has faced years of criticism for failing to produce employable graduates, which was one of its core promises when it was first launched in 2012.

Parents, employers and education advocates have long pointed out that many graduates struggle to find work after finishing the program, both in the public and private sectors.

DepEd has since implemented a major revamp of the senior high curriculum. Among other changes, students are no longer locked into the strand or track they choose, and instead will take elective from different "subject clusters" based on career plans. 

Under the new senior high curriculum, students can choose between just two tracks: academic and technical professional.

50 classrooms by 2028

Besides the co-development of the food service curriculum, the Jollibee Group Foundation also committed to build 50 classrooms by 2028 to help ease the country’s classroom shortage. 

The first six will be constructed in Mindoro, Cebu, and Sarangani starting 2026.