Lawmakers are once again urging public secondary schools to open career centers to assist graduates in selecting a profession that suits their interests and skills.
Senator Raffy Tulfo introduced Senate Bill 1689, known as the Trabaho (Job) Centers in Schools Act, which will require the placement offices to collaborate with the regional, local, or municipal Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), under the Department of Education's supervision (DepEd).
In Tulfo's bill says, “The State recognizes the need to prepare the youth in choosing the career tracks that they intend to pursue and to aid in matching senior high school students with career opportunities after graduation."
Last year, a similar bill has been filed by Laguna's First District Representative Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag in the House of Representatives seeks to “enhance the employability of high school graduates.”
In 2016, former Senator Bam Aquino's version sought to address unemployment and underemployment by making sure suitable jobs are waiting for high school and college students.
In the proposed measure, the purpose of Trabaho Centers is to administer testing and evaluation tools, organize career enhancement training and coaching, maintain an updated database of job openings, job links, and networking opportunities, and help students understand the results of their National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE).
The NCAE is an aptitude test for self-assessment, career awareness, and career guidance of junior high school students of the K to 12 programs.
Tulfo and Matibag's bills urge higher education institutions and technical-vocational institutions to establish the K to 12 programs.
Also, the bills order coordinators to encourage their partners among educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and local government units in the establishment and management of the Trabaho Centers.
