Senator Koko Pimentel III has challenged those finishing Grade 12, college and technical courses this graduation season to be creative, to think outside of the box in hunting for jobs and disprove the impression that the current crop of youngsters are easily discouraged by failure and life challenges.
“Expect the job market to be competitive. Employment will not readily fall on your lap. Use your kokote and realize that life offers no shortcuts,” the lawmaker, who graduated with math and law degrees, said.
Last year, the first batch of some 1.3 million K-12 students graduated. About half of the number are poised to join the workforce, adding to another 660,000 graduates vying for employment slots, according to figures both from the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Employers in the private sector have repeatedly said that they would hire and train K-12 graduates, though online job portals such as JobStreet noted that there remains a hiring preference for college graduates.
“Politicians, advertisers, employers all realize the power and influence of millennials.”
“My advice to young graduates is to show potential employers that you have both the skills and the attitude to succeed. Hindi dapat chill lang ng chill ang kabataan. The fact that today’s young job seekers are more tech-savvy than the previous generations means that they, by default, are more ready to face the challenges of a tech-driven work environment. Dapat lang tama ang mindset.”
Pimentel further noted that “millennials” from the 15 to 35 age group comprise one-third of the Philippines’ 107.5 million population as of March 2019.
“Politicians, advertisers, employers all realize the power and influence of millennials, that’s why political and advertising campaigns as well as employment trajectories are now tailor-made to cater to these millennials and their embrace of social media and tech.”
The legislator, who topped the 1990 Bar Examinations, was quick to clarify however that young graduates had a corresponding obligation to exercise responsibility and be law-abiding citizens as they enter the “real world.”
He stressed that government would continue its long-term objective to further improve the education system and the job environment through effective legislative and proper executive implementation of programs.
“Our focus is not only increasing human capital. Equally important is the task of equipping our students and graduates with proper skills, whether they seek to work domestically or abroad, or even if they decide to become entrepreneurs,” Pimentel noted.
Our focus is not only increasing human capital. Equally important is the task of equipping our students and graduates with proper skills.”
“As we keep on stressing during this campaign period, ang pamilya at bansa ay uunlad kapag may edukasyon.”
