To bridge the education-employment gap in the Philippines and strengthen the nation's teaching workforce while equipping the next generation with skills for the AI-driven economy, the Department of Education (DepEd) forged a partnership with LinkedIn on Wednesday, March 12.
LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has formed a strategic partnership with DepEd to address the nation’s educational and workforce challenges. The partnership aims to provide over 200,000 public school teachers with scaled access to LinkedIn Learning courses, mapped to the Philippines Professional Standards for Educators.
“The Philippines is facing significant challenges in addressing teacher distribution and a shortage of nearly 90,000 educators,” said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.
He explained that the global pandemic underscored the need for ongoing teacher support and training to “deliver quality education” in diverse and remote learning environments.
“Our partnership with LinkedIn enables DepEd to establish robust professional development programs for teachers beyond one-off training initiatives,” he added.
Angara also noted that by leveraging LinkedIn’s global insights and comprehensive LinkedIn Learning course offerings, “we can provide educators with the tools and data-driven resources to close skill gaps, improve competencies, and drive meaningful change in classrooms nationwide.”
The partnership
This initiative is expected to help teachers develop critical competencies in areas such as creative thinking, data analytics, and digital skills as the country undergoes rapid digitalization accelerated by AI.
It will empower teachers to “stay relevant, become more productive and efficient in daily tasks, and deliver a higher quality of education in the classroom.”
Beyond upskilling educators, DepEd will also leverage LinkedIn Talent Insights (LTI) to shape and inform curriculum design, particularly for Grade 11 and 12 students.
This data-driven approach will ensure that classroom pedagogy aligns with in-demand skills and competencies to “better guide and prepare job-ready graduates to enter the workforce.”
Job-ready graduates
With over 1.1 billion members globally, including 16 million in the Philippines, LinkedIn has a unique perspective on how work is changing at an unprecedented pace.
Its recently launched Work Change report projects that the skills required to perform jobs in the Philippines will change by 70% by 2030, driven by advancements in AI.
Ten percent of workers hired in 2024 hold job titles that did not exist in 2000. In this new AI-driven era, roles like AI Engineer, Data Scientist, Sustainability Manager, Social Media Manager, and Customer Success Manager are now commonplace.
The growing demand for AI-related competencies is clear: 68 percent of Filipino leaders would hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills over a more experienced candidate without them.
However, as AI automates more routine tasks, business leaders are also recognizing the importance of soft skills—skills that set people apart by enabling them to innovate and collaborate in ways technology cannot replicate.
In the Philippines, six of the top 10 growing in-demand skills are soft skills, with writing and critical thinking being the most sought after, followed by problem-solving, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
"AI will continue to drive up the value of skills as it becomes relevant to every job in the future and becomes integrated into many tasks,” said Feon Ang, Managing Director, APAC at LinkedIn.
“But as we integrate this technology into daily work, human skills like communication, creative thinking, and leadership will become even more critical,” Ang said. “Our focus is on equipping educators with the technical and soft skills that reflect this shift,” she added.
By partnering with DepEd, LinkedIn aims to empower “educators to lead this transformation and prepare the next generation of graduates with the skills and in-demand capabilities they need to thrive in an evolving world of work.”
Leveraging LinkedIn for future opportunities
Against the backdrop of skills transformation, DepEd plans to introduce “LinkedIn 101” training for senior high school students, equipping them with the skills to optimize their profiles, build professional networks, and use the world’s largest professional platform to access job opportunities.
Conducted in partnership with LinkedIn, these training programs will teach students how to effectively showcase their skills, achievements, and experiences to potential employers. This initiative aims to empower fresh graduates to enhance their visibility to recruiters, stand out in a competitive job market, and connect to economic opportunities.
“This partnership reflects DepEd's commitment to elevating educational standards and LinkedIn's role as our trusted partner in upskilling the Philippines' workforce,” Angara said.
“By preparing educators and students alike for the evolving job market, we can collectively empower the next generation of Filipino professionals to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and competitive landscape,” he added.