Higher education courses

Malacanang is committed to create at least one million jobs a year to absorb college graduates or the new entrants to the labor force.In a media briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said this commitment is among the top priorities of the Aquino government saying,tututukan ang job generation.He said this target is part of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s contract with the Filipino people. This is also a priority in the country’s development blueprint, or the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016 prepared by the National Economic Development Authority.Coloma urged college entrants and their parents to consider courses that have high market labor demand. He noted that a paradox exists where there is high unemployment, when many jobs are hard to fill.In the same forum, Commission on Higher Education Chair Patricia B. Licuanan said courses in higher education should be industry engaging.

The country has oversubscribed courses such as nursing, information technology , education, hotel and restaurant management, and business administration. These courses, she said, need not be promoted by institutions, rather we just have to improve it.She explained that CHED is doing this to rationalize and put it in order.We need to align it with the needs of the country, she said. Specifically, Licuanan pointed out that the country is short in the number of agriculture degree graduates who are needed in its drive to improve food security in the country.Other courses that CHED is promoting to students are mining, aeronautics, geology and software engineering. As a motivating factor, scholarships for these priority courses will be available.