This will allow the department to bridge the gap between classroom learning and evolving market demands.
On Tuesday, September 15, the Department of Education (DepEd) forged an alliance Tuesday with over 170 leaders and representatives from government, industry, and strategic economic sectors in order to align the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum and Work Immersion Program with emerging labor trends.
Key decision-makers from priority sectors crucial to the economy were brought together during the DepEd-Industry Dialogue on Global Competitiveness, Innovation, and Preparing Senior High School Learners for the Jobs of the Future.
Attendees included leaders from the manufacturing, semiconductor, Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM), creative industries, healthcare, construction, automotive, energy, logistics, agribusiness, financial services, and tourism sectors
These industries, DepEd said, collaborated to develop practical pathways that would immediately prepare Senior High School graduates for employment.
During the discussions, sector representatives highlighted rapid technological changes, noting that entry-level job requirements are shifting toward more complex decision-making, critical thinking, and advanced digital proficiency.
Moreover, industry leaders also emphasized the importance of instilling rigorous workplace safety standards, essential soft skills, and ethical values during the early stages of training to ensure student success in high-demand fields.
Partner associations also expressed strong support for organized immersion models; the industry has already provided approximately 31,000 work immersion slots, which represents over 60 percent of DepEd’s target of 50,000 slots, across more than 1,100 diverse job roles.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized in a statement, “Our graduates must enter the workforce with genuine hands-on experience and real competencies. By sitting down directly with our industry leaders, we are ensuring that what we teach in school matches what the real world actually demands.
He noted that the agency is refining the curriculum and expanding the Enhanced Work Immersion Program as learners deserve “real pathways to quality jobs, entrepreneurship, and higher learning.”
“We cannot build a future-ready economy with yesterday’s skills framework,” he furthered.
DepEd has recently streamlined the Senior High School system from four tracks to just two—Academic and Technical-Professional (TechPro).
This will allow students to have greater flexibility in their subjects, while integrating intensive, industry-guided work immersion.
For TechPro students, this enhanced work immersion features organized joint training plans, direct mentoring, and industry assessments directly linked to national skills certifications.
The Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and industry skills standards are also integrated, with the initiative aiming to address the labor market’s “middle market” by filling crucial roles for skilled technicians, technologists, and associate professionals.
Meanwhile, DepEd said it will follow up with discussions for each industry cluster to identify new job roles, update work immersion guidelines, and integrate the latest labor market information into the national curriculum.
