400 ALS completers earn life skills micro-certification; DepEd, UNICEF eye nationwide rollout 

The Department of Education (DepEd), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines, is pushing for the national expansion of its Micro-Certification Program following the recognition of around 400 Alternative Learning System (ALS) learners who earned life skills micro-certificates on Oct. 16.

During the awarding, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara congratulated the awardees, reminding them that progress comes in many forms and does not have to be rushed.

“Sa ating mga micro-certification completers, kayo po ang pruweba na hindi kailangang mabilis ang pagkuha ng life goals. It can come in steps, in modules, in micro-wins that eventually build a life of purpose and pride,” Angara said.

“Because in ALS, we don’t just measure success by how high you’ve climbed, but by how far you’ve come. And today, each of you has reached a summit worth celebrating,” he noted, emphasizing the “micro-win” that the completers have achieved.

So far, the program has already produced 2,854 micro-certificates for ALS learners covering eight school division offices: Manila, Aurora, Batangas, Iriga, Lapu-Lapu, Misamis Oriental, Davao City, and South Cotabato, serving as pilot implementers.

Angara also highlighted that each badge or credential represents a story of progress and a small triumph that leads to greater opportunities for work and employment.

“By providing formal credentials for these essential skills, DepEd seeks to strengthen learners’ pathways toward further education, employment, and lifelong learning,” the agency said in a statement.

The ALS Micro-Certification for Life Skills Program, in partnership with UNICEF Philippines, is a DepEd initiative that seeks to validate real-life competencies such as communication, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving.

The said program is also anchored on Republic Act 11510, or the Alternative Learning System Act, and the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), which adopts the 360-degree assessment.

This adopted evaluation includes self-ratings, teachers, and community raters to measure learners’ life skills.

Through partnerships with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and local government units, the agency seeks to ensure that the alternative program is more responsive to employment opportunities and community participation.

According to the DepEd, studies conducted from 2022 to 2025 by the department, UNICEF, the Australian Council for Educational Research, and the University of Melbourne validated the reliability of assessing life skills through micro-certifications.

Moving forward, DepEd seeks to intensify certification tools, scaling up to other SDOs, and integrating results into ALS improvement frameworks as the program moves forward.