Aquino urged to bare employment plan for 400K new grads

A youth representative in Congress on Wednesday urged the Aquino administration to improve and reveal its employment plan for about 400,000 new graduates this year. Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino said the government should ensure quality jobs for the fresh graduates. “In a country where quality jobs are scarce, finding a job will be a real challenge for our new graduates. I urge President Aquino to improve [the government’s] job plan for our graduates and unveil this plan to the public," he said in a statement Wednesday. The lawmaker likewise said that government agencies in charge of employment should go beyond career orientation and employment coaching seminars. “No amount of coaching would be useful if majority of our graduates won’t have jobs in the end. There is an urgent need for President Benigno Aquino III to be more committed in generating jobs," he said. The Department of Labor and Employment on Monday said it will conduct career-orientation seminars for fresh graduates, while enjoining them to register in online job search portals to make themselves available to employers. Last year's government records showed around 2.8 million Filipinos were unemployed, most of them are 24 years old and below. — Andreo Calonzo/LBG/KBK, GMA News