House approves bill on ladderized education

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has recently approved on third and final reading a bill instituting a ladderized education for students taking up technical vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education (HE).

House Bill 4255, to be known as the “Ladderized Education Act of 2011,” will enable technical-vocational (tech-voc) students to earn a college degree by giving corresponding higher education credits to subjects or training programs acquired in tech-voc institutions and vice versa.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said the proposed integration and interface of tech-voc education and higher education will enable vocational school graduates to pursue higher education without repeating subjects that were taken under TVET.

“This proposed act will definitely widen opportunities for professional growth for our vocational students where, for example, an automotive graduate can pursue related degree courses such as mechanical engineering,” Angara said.

Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, one of the proponents of the bill, said the proposed act can be the solution to structural unemployment where there is a mismatch in the quality of skilled graduates produced by educational institutions, compared to the needs of the current market and industries.

“A stop-gap or long-term measure is needed to eliminate the problem of structural unemployment or job-skill mismatch in the industry. This can be done by institutionalizing the ladderized education program,” Gonzales said.

The bill mandates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) to formulate a unified qualifications framework that establishes equivalency pathways and access ramps in ladderized education.

The bill also establishes a permanent National Coordinating Technical Committee composed of CHED and TESDA personnel to monitor and ensure the effective implementation of the ladderized education program (LEP).