Blame the System, Not the Students: Employability Gap in Philippine Education

Strategic Insights -

The Philippine educational system, particularly K-12, has been criticized for failing to prepare young people for employment after senior high school. However, this criticism is misplaced, as the problem lies not with the students or the K-12 curriculum, but with the legislators and education experts who prioritize useless subjects over essential skills. Studies have shown that the senior high school (SHS) curriculum is congested and misaligned with labor market needs, with only 10.2 percent of SHS graduates employed straight after graduation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SHS curriculum is congested and misaligned with labor market needs, according to PIDS studies.
  • Only 10.2 percent of SHS graduates were employed straight after graduation, with 82.7 percent going on to higher education (National tracer studies, SY 2017-2018).
  • The cultural bias against technical and vocational training is strong in the Philippines, hindering the development of job-ready graduates.
  • The dual system in Germany effectively bridges education and employment, producing job-ready graduates with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
  • 70 to 75 percent of apprentices in the German dual system stay on with their training company after graduation.
  • The Philippine education system lacks coordination between DepEd, CHED, and TESDA, resulting in a disconnect between education and labor market requirements.
  • The private sector has complained about TESDA's severe assessor shortage, creating a backlog of students unable to receive certifications.
  • The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) has launched the YouthWorks PH program to introduce work-based training, certification, and industry alignment.
  • 76 percent of 294 SHS graduates who joined the YouthWorks PH program secured employment.
  • Unilab Education (UniEd) has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-based RAISE Initiative to adapt AI education for the Philippine context.
  • UniEd's mission is to enable social mobility through quality education, focusing on employment and partnering with existing universities and trade schools.

Statistics:

  • 82.7 percent of SHS graduates went on to higher education (National tracer studies, SY 2017-2018).
  • 10.2 percent of SHS graduates were employed straight after graduation (National tracer studies, SY 2017-2018).
  • 9.7 percent of SHS graduates employed chose the technical vocational track, compared to 6.2 percent who chose the academic or college prep track.
  • 70 to 75 percent of apprentices in the German dual system stay on with their training company after graduation.
  • 76 percent of 294 SHS graduates who joined the YouthWorks PH program secured employment.
  • 222 SHS graduates secured employment through the YouthWorks PH program.

Sources:

  • PIDS studies
  • National tracer studies (SY 2017-2018)
  • Philippine Business for Education (PBEd)
  • Unilab Education (UniEd)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-based RAISE Initiative
  • New York Times Op-Ed piece on AI and employment