Solon wants more globally competitive graduates

According to a statement on Friday, Senator Pia Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 62 with the aim of institutionalizing an education roadmap that incorporates the required skills and competencies that industries constantly look for in new graduates. (File Photo: Pia Cayetano/Facebook)

MANILA –- A bill seeking the establishment of a common national policy on education, which will train Filipino students to be job-ready and globally competitive, has been filed at the Senate.

According to a statement on Friday, Senator Pia Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 62 with the aim of institutionalizing an education roadmap that incorporates the required skills and competencies that industries constantly look for in new graduates.

Cayetano said the bill seeks to address the current “overlapping and confusing” education policies to guarantee gainful employment for Filipino students.

“The roadmap incorporates a careful review of existing curricula so that the skills required by local and international industries from new graduates are integrated into our academic programs,” the senator said.

“This roadmap also aims to strengthen capacity building for teachers so that they could properly equip their students with relevant skills and competencies,” she added.

Under the bill, an Educational Roadmap National Coordinating Council shall be created to design, formulate, and monitor implementation of the educational roadmap.

The roadmap shall highlight five key components– Global Languages, Graduate Competencies, Teacher Competencies, Capacity Building for Centers of Excellence, and School-to-Work Transition.

A policy shall also be established for the seamless progression of students from basic education to higher education and, eventually, to employment.

This involves strengthening and expanding internship, apprenticeship, and dual-training programs for students, as well as dynamic collaboration among the government, academe, and industry.

Cayetano noted that industry sector representatives shall be consulted or tapped in developing and implementing the educational roadmap to address job-skills mismatch.

“Our education program must constantly keep up with the changing and growing needs of industries. We must also secure lifelong learning opportunities for our youth so that they will be globally competitive and job-ready upon graduation,” she said.