Ateneo-Pathways and Aiducation International discuss Filipino talent in Swiss Embassy roundtable

Ateneo de Manila’s Pathways to Higher Education program together with its long-time partner Aiducation International joined a roundtable discussion hosted in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines and the Swiss Cultural Fund, last Wednesday, 26 June. Entitled Pathways for Filipino Talent and Potential: Bridging underprivileged students from classroom to career, the discussion revolved around the challenges businesses and job seekers face in the Philippine job market. While acknowledging the learning-to-earning gap job seekers face, the discussion also took on the needs of businesses in terms of skilled workers.

The discussion was joined by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Ethel Valenzuela, Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Division Chief Gemma Reyes, Aiducation International Managing Director Matthias Meier, Ateneo-Pathways to Higher Education Director Solvie Nubla-Lee, and Synpulse Head of People Operations Ayie Salipot. Member companies of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, as well as invited American and Philippine companies, actively pitched their experiences and insight on the current Philippine workforce at the roundtable.

In her keynote speech, CHED Commissioner Valenzuela shared the Commission’s insight on the changing landscape of industry demands and how they hope to meet these needs in alignment with the government’s vision of AmBisyon Natin 2040. 

DepEd ASec Galban also shared how the Department is combatting the learning crisis through their continuous and rigorous curriculum development that aims to develop students’ soft skills along with their technical skills. 

Meanwhile, TESDA Division Chief Reyes talked about the Agency’s efforts in fostering learner-labor mobility that enables technical-vocational students to learn from on-the-job training. The Agency shared, as well, its alignment with the Swiss value for innovation.

Soft skills, resilience, and a growth mindset will take students beyond what we can foresee, especially given how limited our projections of future job requirements can be, according to Aiducation International Managing Director Meier. 

Pathways Director and Aiducation International Country Director Nubla-Lee highlighted the importance of collaboration among government, non-government organizations, and the business community to address the skill gaps between graduates and the job market. She acknowledged that one of the biggest steps in this collaboration is understanding all the sectors’ needs and interests.

For talented Filipino undergraduate students like those in Pathways, she shared how important programmed internship and mentorship programs allow students insight into the world after graduation. As an example, she shared that Pathways students enjoyed guided steps into the workforce through mentorship programs in partnership with Aiducation International. In their experience, these programs allowed professional mentors insight into the next generation of job seekers yet enabled students to receive guidance from those in their industries of interest. 

Raiza Ragay, a fresh college graduate from Ateneo and a senior participant of Pathways, weighed in on the gap between higher education and employment. She reflected that her college training was more general while the workforce looks for more specialized employees. She attributed some of her preparedness thanks to the life skills imparted by Pathways.

Meanwhile, Pathways alumnus Mark Cancino shared his own experience as a lecturer on Workplace Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños where he already sees the incorporation of soft skills into the curriculum. Alongside more technical skills, he reflected that soft skills having been embedded into the curriculum shows its importance to the workforce.

As members of the Swiss Chamber agreed, Filipinos are talented and they can reach their potential for innovation with industry guidance and policy-shaping. While the way to more industry-aligned graduates will take more work, the conversation began and will continue through the collaboration of all sectors.

Join the conversation about employment and Filipino talent.
Email us at pathways@ateneo.edu