Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said it is high-time for the government to address the jobs-skills mismatch surrounding technical-vocational education and training (TVET).

Villanueva made the call during the first Standing Committee meeting of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).

"Palagi nating sinasabi na hindi trabaho ang kulang - ang kulang ay mga graduates na swak sa trabaho (We always say that it's not jobs that are lacking-- we lack the graduates who are fit for the job," Villanueva said during the EDCOM 2 meeting.

Villanueva is one of the six Commissioners of EDCOM 2 and is co-chair of the Committee on TVET and Lifelong Learning.

In his opening statement, the senator noted that nearly two-thirds of TVET graduates still experience training-job mismatch, or work occupations which are not similar to the expected occupation of the training program.

"Efforts should be geared towards connecting TVET outcomes with employers' needs, forging linkages between TVET and industry," Villanueva said.

During the meeting, Dr. Christina Epetia, Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), also reported a dramatic dip in TVET graduates and assessments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Epetia's report also noted the lack of promotion of enterprise-based training, as well as the uptick of college students and graduates enrolling in TVET courses, attributed to seeking employable skills and protection from labor market changes.

Also present during the Standing Committee meeting were EDCOM 2 co-chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Advisory Council members Mr. Alfredo Ayala and Ms. Irene Isaac.

Standing committee members also participated, including Fr. Jun Inocencio, President of Unified TVET of the Philippines; Mr. Edicio de la Torre, President of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement; Mr. Charles Kenneth Co, President of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mr. John Thomas Franco, President of Mindanao Technical Vocational Association (minTVET); Dr. Christopher Monterola, Professor at the Asian Institute of Management, and Mr. Lito Tayag, Former Country Managing Director and President of Accenture, Inc. (Philippines).

"Isa po sa paborito kong analogy sa ating education system ay isang hagdan (One of my favorite analogies in our education system is a ladder)," he said.

"Naririto po tayong lahat ngayon upang tiyakin na makumpleto natin at maging sapat ang mga baitang ng hagdan tungo sa isang masayang pagbabago (We are all here today to make sure that we complete and complete the rungs of the ladder to a happy change)," the majority leader stressed.