The Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) has just announced the drafting of a Career Guidance Advocacy Plan 2017-2022 give access to information and provide guidance about career and education or training options available to young people so that they will be able to make the most of the opportunities that are available to them.

The Plan builds on the prior work of the Career Guidance Advocacy Program Working Group (CGAP WG).

The CGAP WG is composed of the DOLE Secretary as Chairperson, and the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) as members.

The aims of the Career Guidance Advocacy Plan  2017-2022 are as follows:

• Expanded membership of the National Career Guidance Counsellors and Career Advocates (NGCCAs) who will promote the benefits of proper career guidance;
• Developing and providing responsive labor market information publications and research;
• Providing capacity building on life skills to guidance counsellors and career advocates;
• Strengthening the capacity of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs);
• Intensifying the promotion and utilization of the PhilJobNet; and
• Delivering career guidance programmes and projects as scheduled.

The Draft Plan was announced by Secretary Baldoz of DOLE at the 3rd National Career Advocacy Congress (NCAC) held in the last week of May 2016 and attended by over 400 career guidance advocates from across the country’s 17 regions. The aim of the Congress was to upskill career guidance advocacy allies with up-to-date LMI and trends in the global and national contexts; update the guidance counsellors and career advocates with new concepts and strategies for career guidance in the 21st century; recognize the potential of career growth in guidance and counselling; identify the roles of different stakeholders, including the private sector, in promoting career guidance advocacy; and identify the role of different stakeholders, including private sector, in promoting career guidance.