210. Reinforce disability sensitivity, including the human rights of persons with disabilities. Conclusion 211. School-to-work transition implies rights to education and to work. However, it must be stressed that it is not enough to aspire to the minimum standard of education and any kind of work but to quality education as well as quality work. 212. The high unemployment rate among young people (15 to 24 years old), including senior high school, cannot be traced to one or two root causes. Although a school-to-work transition is included in the course program of the universities, which have linkages to industry via their alumni network, and employers offer annual internship programs and prioritize hiring interns into their company, formal and concrete steps through the implementation of strategies and legislation by the national government agencies can further advance and expand the assistance given to learners who are transitioning from school to work. Moreover, inter-agency coordination and collaboration between the government, the private sector, and other stakeholders should be enhanced to align their expectations and policies, such as, for instance, in terms of life and soft skills that employers have observed new graduates lack. Such skills should go hand-in-hand with technical skills, so students and new graduates are not ill-equipped and readily overwhelmed by the demands and pressure of work, as the youth participants have also attested. 213. Preparation starts at the schools. The K to 12 Program can benefit from a comprehensive evaluation and review of its curriculum and implementation to resolve the lapses and gaps identified. However, as one participant points out, the purpose of employability should only be secondary to the pursuit of education. Additionally, the pursuit of education should be learning, making the country better, and improving oneself rather than earning a degree or salary. 214. The COVID-19 pandemic has added another dimension to learning and earning a living. The shift to remote learning and online recruitment has not only compounded existing issues such as access to the Internet, technology, and devices, but they made the digital divide even more pronounced to the marginalized group such as learners with disabilities and IPs in rural areas. This experience of the marginalized group also suggests that school-to-work transition is not the same for all learners; some are more disadvantaged than the rest. Digitalization has also given rise to new challenges that the government, schools, employers, and other stakeholders must soon address. Similar to how most health organizations and nations around the world initially responded to the pandemic, it is crucial to map out and get a clear picture of the situation by collecting and constantly updating the data so appropriate interventions can be done in problem areas and expand or strengthen the good practices made. This situational report has provided a glimpse of the real-life situation of learners in their school-to-work transition, which hopefully is the first step to 66

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