Bill seeks to help senior high school grads find jobs

A measure has been filed at the Senate that would help senior high school (SHS) graduates under the K to 12 program find work through a job placement office.

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said Senate Bill 170 or “Trabaho Center in Schools Act,” which he filed, seeks to establish Trabaho Centers.

Aquino said his bill would amend Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 that implements the K to 12 to include “Trabaho Centers” under its scope.

“While we work on equipping our graduates with the adequate skills to join the work-force, let us also bridge that gap between education and employment,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

The senator said Trabaho Centers will focus on three main things—career counseling services, employment facilitation and industry matching.

“Career counseling services shall be offered to help guide the students on the tracks they choose in Senior High School while Employment Facilitation is envisioned to assist the needs of a job seeker or the senior high school student,” he said.

Industry matching, on the other hand, will address the employment needs of companies by providing students’ profiles and graduate listings.

Aquino said the Public Employment Services Office and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will be tapped, under the bill, to create a database of job opportunities in the locality and immediately coordinate further training that might be needed based on particular employment opportunities.

“Through the Trabaho Centers, the needs of our nation’s graduates, businesses in the country, and the vision of the Department of Education come together to make the most of our curriculum reform and help us move closer to shared prosperity,” the senator added. Jaehwa Bernardo, INQUIRER.net trainee/RAM/rga

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