those who graduated during the pandemic was that all their on-the-job training was done online, and many of the skills they had learned online could not be translated into actual practice. Moreover, youth participants, who are still in school, feel the need to be better equipped to take on more responsibilities and know more about “adulting,” as in the term of youth participants, so they can be ready to be an adult once they have graduated from college. 110. New graduates tend to miss their scheduled interviews. An employer participant relates that one of the top issues of employers and human resource (HR) practitioners in recruiting fresh graduates is not showing up for their scheduled interviews without prior notice, which they have observed both in the pre-pandemic period and during the pandemic. On the other hand, fresh graduates who are looking for jobs complain about not receiving any update regarding the status of their application from the hiring managers or employers. Teachers, School Administrators, and Principals Matching of teachers to SHS programs 111. Teachers’ competencies do not align with the SHS programs. Because there is also a lack of teachers in senior high school, the competencies of the available teachers are not aligned with the SHS programs. For instance, one participant from a university relates that while revising the curriculum to address the K to 12 Program in their institution, the Biology subjects were dropped because Biology in their senior high school was being taught by an English teacher who was a Filipino major. Such a situation is highly possible since, as one participant from DepEd explains, the deployment of teachers is dependent on the number of enrollees. DepEd cannot provide as many teachers to complete all the subject areas because of the number of enrollments in one area of the school. Moreover, tool subjects like English, Math, and Science and the specialization in technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) courses are prioritized. Monitoring of students’ career pathways after graduation 112. Monitoring of graduates from universities shows a strong alumni network. Most representatives from universities share that they conduct graduate tracer surveys, but the rationale for conducting them varies. Some are for monitoring purposes and career progress of the alumni, while others are for tracking the successful alumni. Still, others conduct tracer surveys to ensure the employment of students, including those with disabilities, and to point out employability issues. One aspect that is highlighted is the strong alumni network and the support and recognition of outstanding alumni in their universities. One participant from a state university mentions that they have Balik Scientist Program and that they also organize industry visits. 45

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