Whether you are a student, fresh out of school or a first-time job applicant, the road to employment is never easy.
However, given the right set of skills and a positive attitude, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) believes that the future is bright even to those who are not able to earn their college degrees.
“There are various loopholes and roadblocks in the education-employment pathway that prevent our youth from landing meaningful jobs,” said PBED Chairman Ramon Del Rosario.
“While more companies are now open to hiring from the K to 12 system, the playing field continues to be unfair to those without a college degree especially as they try to progress in the workplace,” he added.
Recognizing this, PPBEd has renewed its partnership with Citi Foundation for the “First Future 2.0 Project” which is a new learning platform that hopes to reach as many as 4,000 Filipino youth and to train them in the cultivation of leadership skills and the adoption of a growth mindset.
“Through this renewed partnership, we hope to change the landscape where diplomas are the only acceptable currency in entering and progressing in the workplace to where young people can access jobs freely regardless of their education background as long as they are equipped with the right skills,” Del Rosario added.
The First Future 2.0 project is a continuation of its efforts to support senior high school graduates and youth without college degrees to enter and progress in the workplace.
In 2019, PBEd engaged private sector partners to open over 800 work immersion slots and 20,000 employment slots for young Filipinos, in the hopes of opening up the workplace for senior high school students and graduates.
PBEd Executive Director Love Basillote said that the “First Future 2.0” continues to support young people without college degrees. “But now, it focuses on mainstreaming skilling, reskilling and courses that will allow them to quickly enter and/or progress in the workplace,” she added.
Meanwhile, PBEd Director for Workforce Development Justine Eleonor Raagas explained that the industry-vetted learning courses developed for First Future 2.0 are “focused on building the capacities and competencies of the youth, making them even more employable and qualified for different industries.”
For the First Future 2.0, Raagas said that PBEd has engaged an initial total of 25 stakeholders - 19 of which are private companies from the contact center industry.
“These partners helped develop the training programs, establish the network in various industries, and mainstream the courses online given the shift to online learning due to the pandemic,” she added.
The First Future 2.0 project aims to encourage the youth to invest in themselves. The website has two (2) main courses on skilling, reskilling, and upskilling: the Future-Ready CSR – Growth Mindset Training Customer Service Representatives (CSR) and Beyond Expertise – Cultivating Leadership Skills in Subject Matter Experts (SME). Each course has four (4) training modules. Some of these are the Self-Discovery Journey, Leading Self in Challenging Situations, and Communicating Effectively as a Leader, which may be found on the First Future website.
The Growth Mindset training teaches skills that are deemed valuable by the industry, such as self-discovery, developing one’s own potential and abilities in preparation for further success in the industry.
The Cultivating Leadership Skills course is designed to help existing subject matter experts transition to leaders by providing real-life opportunities, challenges and practices to help people develop basic leadership, management, and communication skills.
After completion of the course, Raagas said that participants will be given a Certificate of Completion which may be part of their credentials once they apply for jobs.
Basillote noted that openness of companies to hire non-degree holders remains a challenge when it comes to youth employment. “There’s really an overabundance of people with college degrees,” she said. On the part of companies, there are “unintended consequences” since there is a tendency to hire “overqualified” people.
This mindset of hiring based on the diploma and not on the competency, Basillote said, is one of the perceptions that the “First Future 2.0” Program wanted to change.
“We all believe that putting a premium on individuals who are flexible and can work well with others is vital to developing the workforce of our country,” she ended.