News Release (Draft)

Department of Labor and Employment

12 September 2012

Strengthening job-skills matching,

Government hosts capacity-building workshop for guidance
counselors, career advocates
The government will brook to no obstacles and will be twice as intense as in the past
years in guiding our students to choose the right career path. Indeed, theres no
stopping us now.

This is the message of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz,

as she congratulated the Career Guidance Advocacy Program-Technical Working
Group for its successful holding of the first Capacity Building Workshop for Registered
Guidance Counselors and Career Guidance Advocates held on 12-13 September 2013
at the Ichikawa Hall, Occupational Safety and Health Center, Quezon City.

Around the world, countries with largely young population are challenged to curb high
unemployment rates among the youth. The Philippines faces the same situation as the
Filipino youth make up most of the countrys unemployed; but this cannot be purely
attributed to the scarcity of jobs, Baldoz said.

Some refer to job-skills mismatch as the culprit; and good career guidance has the
potential to address this. Career guidance is seen to raise aspirations and broaden

horizons among our youth, she added, saying that it is rather impressive to see various
government agencies join the cause and move in concert to iron out such employment
issues.

The Workshop, one of the six joint activities set forth under the Career Guidance
Advocacy Plan (CGAP), has in its objective the competency building and updating of
the skills needed to effectively carry out the responsibilities as guidance counselors and
career advocates who assist the youth in coming up with adequate and well-informed
career decisions.

The two-day workshop is mainly composed of lectures from registered guidance

counselors affiliated in some noted universities of the country.

For the first day, the following topics were discussed: (1) Goals, expectations setting,
and orientation of participants; (2) Basic Facilitating Skills and Factors Influencing
Career Development/Decisions; (3) Career Development Theories with Focus on
Supers Development Theory; (4) Factors Influencing Career Development/Decisions;
(5) Interpreting Available Assessment Data for Career Decision-Making; and (5) Career
Decision-making process.

Subject for the second day, which focused on labor market information, are as follow:
(1) Ethical Standards related to Career Guidance Advocacy Activities; (2) Interpreting
Labor and Employment Statistics; (3) Employment Facilitation: Intervention on JobsSkills Matching and Labor Market Information; (4) Licensed and Regulated Professions:
Health, Engineering, Technology, and Business, Education and Social Sciences Cluster;
(5) CHED Priority Courses and Scholarships; (6) Science and Technology Careers; and
(7) Technical-Vocational Courses and Training.

For its part, the Bureau of Local Employment Director Dominique Tutay said, Career
guidance can help our youth to develop self-awareness and resilience, to source and
evaluate information and make sound decisions about learning and work choosing a
tertiary study, finding an apprenticeship, selecting a job or mapping a mapping a path
through the seemingly inexhaustible range of academic courses and career options.

The challenge to respond to this matter is especially entrusted in the hands of the
employment facilitators, career advocates and the guidance counselors you, us,
everyone present in this event. It is in our hands that the students receive guidance
services as they get into the verge of turning another chapter of their lives, as they
make significant decisions about their future careers, she added.

Toward this end, the labor and employment chief posed a challenge to the CGAP-TWG
saying that, we began the year with a good stance and there is no other way but up.
We have to maintain the streak of good work done.

The plans are all laid out; and the government will remain committed to the full
implementation of these plans until the goals are met. The focus of labor administration
is on strengthening convergence between the government and tripartite partners for the
attainment of inclusive growth and sustainable development, she said, referring to the
components of the CGAP.

The CGAP is a program implemented under the joint efforts of the DOLE, Department of
Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Commission on
Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA), and the Professional Regulations Commission (CHED), who currently takes
the lead in implementing the workshop.

The CGAP revolves around the theme, Follow the Guide. Tag a career. Like the
Future, a take-off from the mainstream language of the social media, posing a
challenge on the traditional order to keep up with the current trends and developments.

END/hjtg