Businesses join forces to empower students

Business groups boost DepEd’s work immersion program and reading camps.

Hazel Ann Era·12 August 2024, 12:20 am·1 min read

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Businesses join forces to empower students — PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (5th from left) with (from left) Tessie Sy-Coson of SM Investments Corporation, Doris Magsaysay Ho of Magsaysay Group of Companies, Undersecretary Gina Gonong of DepEd Curriculum and Teaching, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, Fred Ayala of AC Education Inc., Josephine C. Romero of PCORP, Joey Concepcion of Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, Rizalina Mantaring of Ayala Corporation, and Sabin M. Aboitiz of Aboitiz Group and lead convenor of the Private Sector Advisory Council after signing the memorandum of agreement to enhance work immersion programs for senior high school students in Malacañang Palace on 8 August 2024.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SMF

ORGANIZERS of the Brigada Pagbasa Partners Network are (from left) Angat Buhay executive director Raffy Magno; Angat Buhay chairperson Atty. Leni Robredo; DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara; World Vision Philippines chairperson Simoun Ung; Philippine Business for Education chairperson Ramon del Rosario Jr.; Philippine Business for Social Progress executive director Elvin Ivan Uy; PBEd program director for workforce development Justine Raagas; World Vision technical program manager for education Geomel P. Jetonzo; and World Vision interim national director Jun N. Godornes.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PBED

The Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), which assist and guide the government in various key areas, including job creation, worked with the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. (PCORP), a leading organization active in solving the jobs and skills mismatch in the country, to expand the successful micro, small and medium enterprises mentorship for students and make them more attractive to potential employers.

On 8 August 2024, the Department of Education (DepEd), PSAC and PCORP signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to pilot an enhanced work immersion program for senior high school students during the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

“This MoA gives our students the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience while still studying. In that way, it follows the President’s marching orders to us to do everything we can to improve the quality of our education and boost the chances of our graduates at landing better earning opportunities,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our efforts to prepare the next generation for the workforce. By collaborating with DepEd and industry leaders, we can ensure that our students are job-ready and equipped with the skills needed in today’s competitive job market,” said Joey Concepcion, PSAC Jobs Committee lead.

Supporting the pilot project are the Semiconductors and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, IT Business Processing Association of the Philippines, Philippine Constructors Association, Confederation of Wearables Exporters of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, iPeople through the National Teachers College, SM Group and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship.

The DepEd also forged a partnership with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), World Vision Development Foundation, Angat Buhay Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress to form the Brigada Pagbasa Partners Network (BPPN). The BPNN will mobilize and train millions of literacy volunteers who will assist at least 10 million Filipino learners by 2040 through community-based reading camps and readership programs.

Since its inception in 2019, Brigada Pagbasa has achieved the expected comprehension level in reading of 85 percent of covered schoolchildren. Under the program, 32,332 children have been provided with after-school reading intervention; 3,838 teachers and 7,194 volunteers and parents have been trained; and P8.3 million in donations have been received from partners and donors.

Geomel P. Jetonzo, World Vision technical program manager for education, author and Brigada Pagbasa program director, urged all Filipino citizens to help address the literacy gap through partnerships.

“What we really want to promote is a genuine love for reading and a culture of reading to encourage our children to continue reading beyond the school setting,” Jetonzo told the DAILY TRIBUNE.