Senior High School (SHS) graduates gained a big advantage in finding jobs as the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) opened a dedicated Green Lane at the nationwide Labor Day Job Fair.
The DepEd-DOLE cooperation gave SHS graduates faster entry to the workforce giving the opportunity for young breadwinners to help their families out of poverty.
According to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, this initiative is in line with the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to uplift the lives of the underprivileged.
“Pangarap ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na hanguin ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino mula sa hirap.”
“Tungkulin nating ilapit ang serbisyo ng gobyerno at tunay na oportunidad sa ating mga mag-aaral alinsunod sa pangarap ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na hanguin ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino mula sa hirap,” Angara said.
The Labor Day Job Fair was simultaneously done in different strategic places in each region where DOLE identified 70 sites mostly in malls all over the country offering more than 230,000 job opportunities.
To access the Job Fair Green Lane, an express entry allowing SHS graduates to bypass the long line of companies, the applicant had to present valid credentials like School ID and Certificate of Completion or Graduation.
The effectiveness of this socio-economic strategy was proven during the rollout of Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) last March, where more than 1,400 SHS and Alternative Learning System (ALS) graduates were accepted as employees or were hired on the spot.
Around 40 schools all over the country were made into one-stop hubs offering jobs and support to graduates.
More than 5,900 graduates were able to receive free pre-employment documents like birth certificates, NBI, and police clearances— which is a big help in eliminating the high costs in applying for a job.
“Sa pamamagitan ng Green Lane at pag-alis ng bayad sa dokumento, binabawasan natin ang pasanin ng mga magulang at binibigyan ang mga graduates ng pagkakataong agad na makatulong sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan.”
“Sa pamamagitan ng Green Lane at pag-alis ng bayad sa dokumento, binabawasan natin ang pasanin ng mga magulang at binibigyan ang mga graduates ng pagkakataong agad na makatulong sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan,” the education chief explained.
The project is based on the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act or Republic Act No. 11261, where Angara served as principal author while he was still a senator.
The law institutionalized government support to young Filipinos seeking to end the cycle of poverty.
Through the Labor Day Job Fair Green Lane, DepEd and DOLE are giving assurance that obtaining a high school diploma can directly result in food on the dinner table and better future for Filipino families.
