Integrating TVET In Basic Education
The Philippine government has been integrating some sort of technical-vocational skills in basic education. For many years now, parts of competencies found in the current Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (or TESDA) training regulations of courses such as crop production, horticulture, tailoring, carpentry and commercial cooking have been included in elementary and high school subjects one way or another. Recently though, the Department of Education has decided to fully insert whole qualifications for National Certificate Level I (for most qualifications) and National Certificate Level II (for a few) in the high school curriculum. (High school students will be submitted to TESDA competency assessments after finishing the qualifications.) In fact, more than half a billion pesos has been allocated for continuing the implementation of this program during the next several years. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 9, 2011)
Agri-Fishery Sector as Priority
Budgetary information seem to indicate that agri-fishery qualifications are being prioritized under this program (called Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program or STVEP), together with those related to arts and trade. There are a couple of reasons why this is a good decision on the part of the government:
One, the agri-fishery sector is dominated by independent practitioners and contractors, and thus workers are not required to fulfill the same qualifications in terms of age, work experience and educational attainment as with workers in other sectors such as manufacturing or technology-related services.
And two, the agri-fishery sector usually acts as the "shock absorber" of the economy. When employment in other sectors contract, that of the agri-fishery sector usually expands.
It must be noted though that the broad intention of the STVEP program is to prepare high school graduates to pursue bachelor's degree in college, have further technical-vocational training in TVET institutions or to put up their own businesses as entrepreneurs. It is also the intention of this program to prepare them for work after their graduation should they be unable to pursue further training.
Implications to the TVET Sector and the Labor Market
Integrating TVET into the high school curriculum has a couple of implications, both for the suppliers of TVET outside basic education and the labor market itself.
First, although not all high schools are right now offering STVEP programs, TVET institutions need to upgrade their course offerings from mostly National Certificate Level II (or NC II) programs to higher levels of qualifications such as NC III and NC IV, especially in courses that are being included in high schools with STVEP programs. This is to ensure that there will continue to have demand for their courses, and also to capture high school graduates who have acquired NC I and NC II qualifications and who want to get higher level qualifications. This should be especially true to TVET institutions that share the same service area or location as STVEP high schools.
Second, if high schools will continue to produce graduates with NC I and NC II qualifications outside the agri-fishery sector (a real possibility despite apparent efforts from the Department of Education to focus more on agri-fishery qualifications), the labor market will soon have a significant volume of workers who have qualifications equal to qualifications possessed by TVET graduates now, and who might be willing to produce the same work for lower wages.
Right now, there are already high schools that produce graduates with national certificates in automotive mechanic, computer hardware servicing, finish carpentry; and heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). (Usually, firms are willing to give higher wages for workers with higher educational attainment. Thus, right now, firms usually pay higher wages to college graduates compared to TVET graduates; TVET graduates higher than high school graduates, and so on.)
This is an uncomfortable consequence of the STVEP program, but something that should be minimized as the TVET sector re-configures itself to this new reality of the labor market. This, of course, is assuming TVET institutions will upgrade themselves, as suggested above.
Work-Ready
Integrating TVET into basic education is a good thing since this could enhance the work-readiness of high school graduates by equipping them with real, certifiable competencies thus helping them find work even if they don't pursue training beyond high school. However, the TVET sector has to adjust itself to the entrance of new suppliers (high schools with STVEP); and decision-makers in the labor market and firms have to prepare themselves for the entrance of work-ready high school graduates.
Something from Amazon.com that might be of interest:
The Role of TVET in Pacific Secondary Schools: New Visions, New Pathways (Pacific Education Series, 7)
Agri-Fishery Sector as Priority
Budgetary information seem to indicate that agri-fishery qualifications are being prioritized under this program (called Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program or STVEP), together with those related to arts and trade. There are a couple of reasons why this is a good decision on the part of the government:
One, the agri-fishery sector is dominated by independent practitioners and contractors, and thus workers are not required to fulfill the same qualifications in terms of age, work experience and educational attainment as with workers in other sectors such as manufacturing or technology-related services.
And two, the agri-fishery sector usually acts as the "shock absorber" of the economy. When employment in other sectors contract, that of the agri-fishery sector usually expands.
It must be noted though that the broad intention of the STVEP program is to prepare high school graduates to pursue bachelor's degree in college, have further technical-vocational training in TVET institutions or to put up their own businesses as entrepreneurs. It is also the intention of this program to prepare them for work after their graduation should they be unable to pursue further training.
Implications to the TVET Sector and the Labor Market
Integrating TVET into the high school curriculum has a couple of implications, both for the suppliers of TVET outside basic education and the labor market itself.
First, although not all high schools are right now offering STVEP programs, TVET institutions need to upgrade their course offerings from mostly National Certificate Level II (or NC II) programs to higher levels of qualifications such as NC III and NC IV, especially in courses that are being included in high schools with STVEP programs. This is to ensure that there will continue to have demand for their courses, and also to capture high school graduates who have acquired NC I and NC II qualifications and who want to get higher level qualifications. This should be especially true to TVET institutions that share the same service area or location as STVEP high schools.
Second, if high schools will continue to produce graduates with NC I and NC II qualifications outside the agri-fishery sector (a real possibility despite apparent efforts from the Department of Education to focus more on agri-fishery qualifications), the labor market will soon have a significant volume of workers who have qualifications equal to qualifications possessed by TVET graduates now, and who might be willing to produce the same work for lower wages.
Right now, there are already high schools that produce graduates with national certificates in automotive mechanic, computer hardware servicing, finish carpentry; and heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). (Usually, firms are willing to give higher wages for workers with higher educational attainment. Thus, right now, firms usually pay higher wages to college graduates compared to TVET graduates; TVET graduates higher than high school graduates, and so on.)
This is an uncomfortable consequence of the STVEP program, but something that should be minimized as the TVET sector re-configures itself to this new reality of the labor market. This, of course, is assuming TVET institutions will upgrade themselves, as suggested above.
Work-Ready
Integrating TVET into basic education is a good thing since this could enhance the work-readiness of high school graduates by equipping them with real, certifiable competencies thus helping them find work even if they don't pursue training beyond high school. However, the TVET sector has to adjust itself to the entrance of new suppliers (high schools with STVEP); and decision-makers in the labor market and firms have to prepare themselves for the entrance of work-ready high school graduates.
Something from Amazon.com that might be of interest:
The Role of TVET in Pacific Secondary Schools: New Visions, New Pathways (Pacific Education Series, 7)
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