MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants increased collaboration between the government and the private sector, as well as the conduct of thorough assessment on the proposed implementation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in senior high schools (SHS) aimed at enhancing job matching, better employability and worker competitiveness.

“‘Yung involvement ng industry, kailangan ‘yung— kailangan nagsasabi, ‘ang kailangan namin ganito, kaya mag-training kayo ng ganyan.’ Wala pa tayong training na ganoon, maglagay kayo ng track na ganyan kasi ‘yun ang kailangan namin,” President Marcos said Tuesday during the sectoral meeting in Malacanang on the proposed strengthening Senior High School through TVET.

“Kaya’t kailangan talaga ‘yung assessment ng labor market and the involvement of the industry. Kailangan talaga natin kausap ‘yung industry kahit— para hindi lang sila employable, may nag-aantay na na trabaho.”

The President lamented that for the longest time, the government has been implementing various livelihood programs and skills training such as dress making and cosmetology but problems on graduate employability still persist.

On the side of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), an assessment must be done to know the conditions of different regions for program implementation, the President said, noting more urbanized jurisdictions would be more independent while small municipalities may need assistance.

“Yung malalaking city o ‘yung malalaking bayan, wala namang kailangan, they can be on their own pero ‘yung maliliit— ‘yung maliliit din na sixth class municipality—fifth, sixth class, wala rin tayong magagawa doon. So, we really have to study that more, hindi natin puwedeng isispin na shotgun effect, bahala na kung sinong tamaan,” he said.

The TESDA is proposing to embed TVET qualifications in all SHS tracks to promote lifelong learning and improve employability, equipping high school graduates with industry-relevant skills and knowledge.

From October to November 2023, TESDA identified 84 Training Regulations (TR) that can be embedded in the existing SHS curriculum, which was followed by consultative meetings with concerned government agencies such as Department of Education and Department of Labor and Employment and private stakeholders.

The finalization of curriculum guides and pilot implementation in select schools and regions will be conducted in 2025 to assess the effectiveness of the program before the launch of the revised SHS curriculum.

After the pilot implementation, TESDA will be requesting the issuance of an Executive Order to institutionalize the adoption of TVET in the SHS curriculum.

The President, however said that a technical working group should be formed consisting of the TESDA, DepEd, DOLE and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to study TESDA’s project. (PND)