FORMER Senator and independent senatorial candidate Bam Aquino has called for stronger coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to tackle the persistent issue of job mismatches in the country.

Aquino highlighted the lack of communication between schools and employers, which often leaves graduates struggling to find jobs suited to their skills.

“What we see is that schools and employers don’t really talk to each other,” Aquino said.

“In other countries, a single department handles both education and employment because they recognize the direct link between studying and securing a job,” he added.

“In our case, they’re separate. You only start job hunting after graduation,” the former senator further emphasized.

Aquino stressed that better coordination between DepEd and DOLE could significantly reduce job mismatches, a key factor contributing to high unemployment rates.

“In many job fairs, there are 1,000 job openings, but only 50 applicants get hired. That’s because their skills don’t match the available jobs,” he explained.

“That’s why conversations between the education and labor sectors are crucial. Without them, nothing changes—we’ll keep producing graduates who can’t find work,” he added.

If re-elected to the Senate, Aquino vowed to push for the expansion and proper funding of the Free College Education Law, ensuring that free education leads to guaranteed employment for Filipino graduates.

“Education must not end with a diploma—it should lead to real jobs that uplift lives,” Aquino concluded.