‘SOFT SKILLS’ | Senators urges education officials to address lack of ‘soft skills’ by fresh graduates

April 12, 2023 , 07:37 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(April 12, 2023) – Senators on Wednesday urged the education department to address the problems hounding the sector, after a study of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) found many Filipino fresh graduates face challenges at work due to a lack of “soft skills.”

Jinggoy Estrada, who chairs the Upper House’s labor panel, urged the trade and industry department, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and other agencies to ramp up the re-skilling and upskilling of the country’s workforce.

“Hindi madaling mapunan ang mga kakulangan na dapat sana’y natutunan ng ating mga kabataan sa mga face-to-face classes,” Estrada said in a statement. “Kailangan pagtulungan ng gobyerno at ng private sector ang mga hamon na ito.”

Another senator, Grace Poe, also urged the education department to review the K-12 program if it has helped in equipping Filipino youth with the necessary skills to prepare for work.

For her part, Risa Hontiveros hoped that the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), a body formed to evaluate the performance of the country’s education system, has come up with a “game-changing” strategy to address the various problems hounding the sector.

“Time is of the essence in implementing education reforms. The last thing we need is an employment crisis on top of an education crisis,” she said.

In a situation report based on focus group discussions (FGDs) with various stakeholders in the education and labor sector, the CHR found that new graduates struggle upon entering their first work because they lacked “soft skills” such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking to help them adjust to the environment.

As a result, many newly hired workers resign within a short period, but struggle to find another job, the report noted.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has also compounded existing issues in the education sector such as the widening “digital divide” that has marginalized students that have limited access to technology such as learners with disabilities and indigenous youth, the report said.

In the Lower House, ACT Teachers Congresswoman France Castro said the K-12 curriculum needs to be overhauled, noting it has failed to incorporate and prioritize subjects that would help learners develop “soft skills” such as communication and critical thinking.

“Now when the pandemic struck this flaw was further aggravated because there are no more face to face classes, many students lacked ‘soft skills’ — or those related to empathy, creativity, resilience, and communication — as well as practical job skills,” said Castro.

Last January, Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also the education secretary, pledged to revamp the K-12 curriculum to ensure the education system produces “competent, job-ready, active, and responsible” graduates.

(MM | With reports from Marie Ann Los Baños, News5)

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