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'Paano magkaka-trabaho?': Landing jobs for 600,000 TVET graduates a challenge, says Bernos
Philippines
National
'Paano magkaka-trabaho?': Landing jobs for 600,000 TVET graduates a challenge, says Bernos
'Paano magkaka-trabaho?': Landing jobs for 600,000 TVET graduates a challenge, says Bernos
Published Jul 6, 2026 11:57 pm
At A Glance
- Rep. Ching Bernos raises concern on how government will provide jobs for 600,000 TVET graduates this year despite TESDA's expanded programs.TESDA secures P19‑billion for scholarships, but Edcom II finds only 38 percent of graduates are employed six months after completion.Bernos stresses urgency, warning that delays in employment deepen hardship, as Congress prepares to review the 2027 National Expenditure Program.
Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos (Facebook)
How exactly does the government plan to provide jobs to the 600,000 Filipinos who are expected to graduate from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) this year?
Such was the question posed by Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos on Monday, July 6, even as the next budget season was only a couple of months away.
Bernos, a member of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Higher and Technical Education, cited the "challenge" of ensuring that these graduates find jobs immediately
The TVET program is being overseen by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
“We are happy that with TESDA’s increased budget, more and more Filipinos have access to its various training programs. But now we have to look even farther and focus on helping them finds jobs right after graduation,” Bernos said.
TESDA secured a historic P19-billion allocation for scholarships in the current 2026 national budget. This allowed them to fund around 630,000 to 650,000 scholars for its 20,000 training program offerings.
While TESDA Director General Jose Francisco Benitez noted that the employability rate of the graduates ranges from 83 percent to 86 percent, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) learned that only around 38 percent of TVET graduates found jobs six months after their studies.
Bernos underlined the need for these graduates to find jobs as soon as possible.
“A delay in finding jobs could mean missed opportunities for further training, a continued inability to sustain food, shelter, and other family needs, or even lead to debt and being mired deeper into poverty,” she said.
“Ang bawat buwan na hindi makakahanap ng trabaho para sa Tesda graduates ay dagdag na buwan ng pagkadehado at pagdarahop. Kaya mahalagang lumikha tayo ng solusyon upang mas maaga silang makahanap ng trabaho sa industriyang pasok sa kasanayan nila," the Ilocano further said.
(Each month that TESDA graduates cannot find work is another month of disadvantage and hardship. That is why it is important to create solutions so they can find jobs earlier in industries that match their skills.)
The House of Representatives will begin perusing the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) between August and September this year. The NEP is the precursor of the annual national budget.