THE Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) on April 20 urged the business community to continue supporting the educational reforms and give more opportunities to senior high-school graduates poised to join the work force.
The education advocacy group expressed concern the private sector only has a few companies are open to accept the graduates.
A survey of companies in the organization’s network revealed only 1 in 5 companies is ready to hiring a K to 12 graduate, but 3 out of 5 are open.
“Readiness and openness are two different things; the former being the capacity for companies to hire given their availability of facilities and entry-level positions, and the latter simply being the company’s willingness,” PBEd Executive Director Lovelaine Basillote said in the news statement.
She added PBEd offered its assistance to help the employers and students in hurdling the challenges. “And given that 93 percent of K to 12 skills are suitable—even necessary—for entry-level work, we think we can help both graduates and companies through this program.”
PBEd also shared their own effort for affirmative hiring, through a coalition where companies join and commit to training and hiring slots to help the nearly 600,000 youth to transition from school to work through their coalition.
As a continuing initiative, PBEd’s initiative is calling on more companies to take part and join their affirmative hiring coalition.
Given the current reality on openness for hiring K to 12 graduates and the availability of SHS graduates, PBEd Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. asked the private sector to deliver the promise of employability by rethinking hiring guidelines and putting a premium on competencies instead of credentials.
“We need to get this right now, as more and more of our youth will graduate from K to 12 annually. The only way for our country to continue growing is for our youth to succeed,” del Rosario said.
In the news briefing, the PBEd leadership said leaders from the country’s biggest business associations, such as Philippine Chamber of Commerce Inc., Makati Business Club, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines, People Management Association of the Philippines and the Joint Foreign Chamber of the Philippines, lent their own initiatives for K to 12 support.
“We in the private sector, therefore, reaffirm our strong support for the K to 12 reform by taking affirmative action and opening employment positions for K to 12 graduates and rethinking our hiring guidelines to put a premium on competencies instead of credentials,” the business groups said in a joint statement.
With half a million K to 12 graduates poised to enter the work force, the PBEd said the employment issue requires all stakeholders to work together to deliver the promise of employability and shared prosperity for the people.
“The business sector’s commitment notwithstanding, we cannot do this alone and thus enjoin the entire Filipino community to join us in this coalition,” the PBEd said.