DepEd rolls out life skills micro-certification for ALS learners

The Department of Education (DepEd) has rolled out a micro-certification program that formally recognizes the life skills of Alternative Learning System (ALS) learners, with an initial pilot covering 2,854 learners across eight Schools Division Offices.

The initiative, implemented in partnership with UNICEF Philippines, seeks to recognize competencies such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving to help prepare ALS learners for further education, employment, and community participation.

On Friday, DepEd and UNICEF recognized 313 ALS learners from Misamis Oriental who completed the pilot assessments during a ceremony in Cagayan de Oro City.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the initiative acknowledges skills that learners acquire through their experiences in work, family, and their communities.

“Maraming ALS learners ang may husay, disiplina, at kakayahang hinubog ng kanilang karanasan sa buhay, trabaho, pamilya, at komunidad. Sa micro-certification, mas nakikita at kinikilala natin ang mga skills na ito — hindi lang bilang bahagi ng pag-aaral, kundi bilang puhunan nila para makapagpatuloy, makapaghanapbuhay, at makilahok nang mas aktibo sa lipunan,” Angara said.

(Many ALS learners possess skills, discipline, and abilities shaped by their experiences in life, work, family, and community. Through micro-certification, we better recognize these skills—not only as part of their education but also as assets that can help them continue their studies, find employment, and participate more actively in society.)

DepEd said learners undergo a 360-degree assessment involving self-evaluations as well as assessments from teachers and community members to measure life skills demonstrated in real-world settings.

According to the department, the ALS Micro-Certification for Life Skills is aligned with Republic Act No. 11510, or the Alternative Learning System Act, and the Philippine Qualifications Framework, which promotes the recognition of competencies beyond literacy and numeracy.

The Misamis Oriental recipients are part of the pilot implementation across eight Schools Division Offices involving 2,854 ALS learners.

DepEd said feasibility studies conducted from 2022 to 2025 with UNICEF, the Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre, and the University of Melbourne found that the micro-certification model can reliably measure observable life skills. —LDF, GMA News