MUNTINLUPA City Rep. Jaime Fresnedi has filed a measure seeking to address the problem of employability and competitiveness of K to 12 graduates.

In his House Bill 8640 or the proposed Education and Employment Linkage Councils Act, Fresnedi seeks to create education and employment linkage councils at the national and local levels to address the seeming disconnect between the products of our basic education system and the needs of the industry or the labor market.

“Through the ten years that the K to 12 Program was implemented, it has been reported that many employers still prefer jumpstarting the careers of college graduates, rather than hiring those who finished the Senior High School Program,” the solon said.

The lawmaker cited a study made by Philippine Business for Education, wherein only 14 out of 70 of the top companies in the country would hire SHS graduates.

According to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Human Resources Development Foundation, Inc., the hesitation to hire SHS graduates may be due to the fact they still lack the adequate skills and sufficient training that should have been provided by the K to 12 Program.

“A link seems to be missing between how we teach and develop our basic education learners so that those who choose not to pursue a college degree and decide to join the workforce after graduating in Senior High School will be able to enter the labor market,” the lawmaker stressed.