Bam to solve jobs mismatch through Trabaho Centers in schools

Sen. Bam Aquino wants to solve the jobs mismatch problem in the country by establishing strategic employment centers in our senior high schools and ensuring SUCs offer courses that cater to the needs of their local industries.

"To address the jobs mismatch, we need to bridge the gap between the private sector and schools so we can make sure graduates are well suited for job openings in the area," said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress.

Sen. Bam's Senate Bill No. 170 or the Trabaho Center in Schools Act will help ensure that Senior High School graduates under the K to 12 program have the appropriate knowledge, values, and skills to address the needs of the job market

According to Sen. Bam, the Trabaho Center will focus on three main things - career counseling services, employment facilitation and industry matching.

Sen. Bam also enjoined SUCs to reassess the courses they are offering to match the needs of the region's private sector, thus increasing chances that college graduates will be employed in their locality.

In a 2014 study, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) revealed that job skills mismatch is a major cause of youth unemployment, which stands at 15.7 percent.

The number of jobless youth, aging from 15 to 24, accounts for 49.8 percent of all unemployed in the Philippines.

"Siguraduhin natin na hindi masasayang ang pagod ng ating mga guro, estudyante, at pati ng kanilang magulang. Pagtapos ng senior high school o ng kolehiyo ay dapat may angkop na trabahong naghihintay para sa mga graduates," Sen. Bam said.