career paths

The study determined the level of work immersion readiness and career plan preparedness among Senior High School learners and examined their relationship as a basis for developing a Career Readiness Enhancement Program (CREP). A descriptive-correlational research design was used, with 509 Senior High School learners in the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) track as respondents; most were 17 years old or below (77%), in Grade 12 (95%), and from the Home Economics strand (92%). Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire measuring work immersion readiness in terms of communication skills, technical and vocational skills, work attitude and discipline, and adaptability and problem-solving skills, and career plan preparedness in terms of self-awareness and interest alignment, career exploration and knowledge, decision-making and goal-setting, and understanding of career pathways. The findings showed high levels of work immersion readiness (general assessment means of 3.52 to 3.61) and career plan preparedness (general assessment means of 3.48 to 3.52), all interpreted as Strongly Agree. Significant positive relationships were found between all dimensions of work immersion readiness and all dimensions of career plan preparedness (r = 0.345 to 0.858, p < .001), including communication skills and self-awareness and interest alignment (r = 0.697), technical and vocational skills and career exploration and knowledge (r = 0.817), work attitude and discipline and self-awareness and interest alignment (r = 0.777), and adaptability and problem-solving skills and self-awareness and interest alignment (r = 0.858). The strongest relationship was between adaptability and problem-solving skills and self-awareness and interest alignment, while the weakest was between communication skills and decision-making and goal-setting (r = 0.345). Decision-making and goal-setting showed the weakest correlations with all four dimensions of work immersion readiness. The findings indicate that workplace-related competencies are significantly associated with career planning preparedness, while decision-making and goal-setting and awareness of certification and training requirements require further strengthening. Based on the findings, a proposed Career Readiness Enhancement Program (CREP) was developed focusing on workplace competencies, career exploration, decision-making, pathway awareness, work immersion preparation, and career portfolio development and monitoring.