SFI Group join partnership with Kuder Inc. launching the Career Planning System for the Philippines

March 20, 2019 Luxent Hotel Quezon City - Servicio Filipino, Incorporated (SFI) one of the leading organizations and “pillars” in the human resource, outsourcing, and workforce management in the Philippines collaborates with Kuder Inc. to implement the full-scale, national career development strategy in addressing needs and concerns of the different stakeholders regarding human capital development. 

This partnership will help more individuals to find the ideal jobs that will suit their needs and capability. Reality Bites every year there are thousands of graduates all over the Philippines seeking a job but struggling to get they want and end up with the job they didn't specialize. Their mastery of skill doesn't align with their profession and the end of the day become a frustration or failure. This is one of the objectives of this collaboration to emphasize the needs of certain individuals and analyze their current situation. This will help align their goals to become more productive and successful in their career as well in their own lives. 

Issues/concerns to be addressed are:

• The need for professionally trained and competent career practitioners and advocates in delivering evidence-based career services to individuals, groups, and organizations.

• The need for proper dissemination and utilization of career and labor market information among the different labor force categories (e.g., students, trainees, employed and unemployed)

• The need to align and develop an educational curriculum to be responsive to the needs of industries (e.g., 21-century skills, career development, and existing policies) There is also a need for industries to guide the academe and government in facilitating their initiatives in developing the Filipino workforce.

• The need to intensify linkage among key government agencies in spearheading the creation and implementation of career and workforce development policies and programs in responding to the issues and challenges that affect employability, and career readiness of Filipino

The specific objectives of the said partnership are:

• Utilize Kuder's professional development portfolio in capacitating career practitioners  (licensed and non-licensed) and career advocates (e.g., parents, teachers) in delivering relevant and responsive career services to their targeted individuals. SFI and Kuder to develop competency-based training curricula for increasing the number of competent career practitioners in the Philippines.

• Kuder may be used as a standard curriculum for the training of career advocates, life mentors, human resource practitioners, teachers, etc. on providing basic career development services; and specialized training for licensed career practitioners. Hence, addressing the issue of the lack of licensed counselors.

• Kuder may also be used in guiding parents, teachers and school counselors to have the necessary information and skills in providing career guidance to their children and students.

• Use Kuder as a career planning tool for guiding students, trainees, employed and unemployed in utilizing career and labor market information for effective career decision making.

• Develop a framework for contextualizing career development in the curriculum for career planning and use SFI-Kuder partnership as a platform for a collaborative effort between and among academic institutions, industries, and government agencies in developing and in standardizing relevant and responsive career development intervention for the Philippines.

Proposed Levels of Participation with Partner Organizations and

Local Government Institutions

Career Development Association of the Philippines (CDAP) CDAP is a non-stock, non-profit organization dedicated to the growth, practice, and advancement of career development in business and industrial organizations, educational institutions, government agencies and non-government organizations in the Philippines. This organization caters to the professional advancement of licensed career counselors and other career practitioners.

        *CDAP is a strategic partner of SFI in developing the curriculum for the training and                              certification of career practitioners and advocates.

*Career Guidance Advocacy Program-Working Group (CGAP)

The CGAP WG National Career Guidance Advocacy Plan (CGAP) in

 (1) promoting the benefits of proper career guidance to students and workers;

(2) developing and providing responsive labor market information publications and research,

(3) providing capacity building on life skills to guidance counselors and career advocates

(4) strengthening the capacity of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) 

(5) intensifying the promotion and utilization of the PhilJobNet

(6) delivering career guidance programs and projects as scheduled

• SFI collaborates with CGAP-WG in developing a national framework for the capacity-building of of career practitioners (licensed and non-licensed) on delivering relevant and responsive career services to their clients (e.g., PESO)
• The partnership seeks to address the lack of Registered Guidance Counselors (RGCs) who can provide the necessary career guidance programs and services to students most especially in the public-school setting. SFI plans to assist CGAP WG in professionalizing the career development practice in the country by means of legislation or an alternative curriculum for the licensing of career advocates

*Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). DOLE is SFI's partner in implementing the Philippine Talent Map Initiative (PTMI) assessing the 21st century skills of the workforce.

• DOLE is seen to be an important entity in the institutionalization of a national career development framework for the Philippines through relevant career interventions and policies for improving the Filipino workforce.

*Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). DepEd, TESDA, PRC and CHED, being the educational agencies for basic education, technical- vocational education and higher education, respectively, offers a formidable role in building the labor force/workforce even before the students graduate.

• The SFI-Kuder partnership can work on the national recognition of DepEd, CHED, and TESDA of Kuder as a career planning system for students.
• The partnership can help DepEd, CHED, TESDA, PRC in responding to the provisions of RA 11206 (Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act), RA 10533, Sec 9 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013)  specifically the articles about Career Guidance Advocacy Program and the RA 9258 (Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004)
• PRC can assist in recognizing the Kuder Professional Development System as a certified CPD curriculum for licensed career practitioners.

*Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Employment Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP). PCCI and ECOP, being the leader organizations of different industries and employers, they are perceived to be the important actors in the partnership through the institutionalization of career development practice among organizations. The Kuder system can be used as a tool for evidence-based career pathing of the workforce among different industries.

• Through this, industry partners and employers may have an easier way of developing evidence- based human resource and organizational development interventions. Customized career development programs may be developed per industry.
• PCCI/ECOP and SFI envision to form a strategic partnership in developing the first national career development strategy for organizations.

Kuder is an online career guidance solutions provider that has helped more than 165 million people worldwide visualize what's next in life and make the plans to get there. Kuder's customizable and comprehensive tools and resources-including research-based assessments and real-world, actionable guidance to users of all ages-reflect a company-wide commitment to encourage lifelong leaming, development, and achievement. From pre-kindergarten to post-secondary or tertiary education, from entering the workforce to mid-career transitions, Kuder helps people of all ages dream big and plan accordingly.