THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is urging job-seekers to enroll in vocational courses to improve their chances of finding employment.

According to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Director General Pastor Z. Guiao, technical vocational graduates are able to find jobs faster.

?The skills that graduates of tech-voc courses learn are very much in demand and attuned to the needs of companies. The courses they have chosen are based on their occupational interests and aptitude. That is why it?s easy for them to find jobs,? Guiao said.

According to a Tesda study of 200,000 graduates, more than half or 55 percent, are gainfully employed.

More than one-third or 36 percent landed jobs in less than a month and one-fourth or 26 percent were employed within one to three months after completing their courses.

Majority of Tesda graduates receive a monthly salary of between P5,000 and P20,000, according to the study. The average monthly salary is P8,885?higher than the average basic pay of P6,136 per month.

The biggest number of graduates land jobs in the following sectors: Footwear and leather goods, land transportation, processed food and beverages, business process outsourcing, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, metals and engineering, construction, and furniture and fixtures. Kristine L. Alave