The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged parents to attend career guidance and coaching conducted in schools to learn about labor market information and help address the problem of jobs and skills mismatch.
Engracio Bailon, head of the DOLE-Dagupan Field Office, said that by educating and empowering parents on labor market information, they would be able to direct their children towards careers with high employability after graduation.
“DOLE has high regard to parents as partners in the fight against jobs disparity.They have profound influence in advising and approving the choice of college courses and career decisions of their children,” he said during the Pantongtongan Tayo radio program of PIA-Pangasinan on Tuesday.
Bailon said that career guidance and coaching is important in order to help students further know their interest and skills, and efficiently guide them in choosing the right careers in order for them to land jobs that they wish to pursue in the future.
Meanwhile, he appealed to parents and graduating high school students to pursue high-demand courses and skills that will assure them of not only a diploma, but would also easily fit them into jobs or entrepreneurship opportunities in the labor market.
“Some of the high-demand courses that are in line with the needs of the market include agriculture-related courses, information technology, maritime, engineering and accountancy,” he added.
Addressing students who cannot enrol in colleges and universities, Bailon urged them to consider taking up technical-vocational courses being an alternative choice to land jobs and pursue their aspirations in life. (MCA/AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan)