Lived experiences of senior high school focal persons in the implementation of work immersion program

Work immersion is one of the hallmarks of the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum aimed to instill work ethics, relevant skills, and values essential for succeeding in real-world environments. This study explored the lived experiences of SHS focal persons implementing Work Immersion Program (WIP). It utilized phenomenological research design. With the help of an interview guide, the researcher gathered data from the purposively selected participants: six for in-depth interview and six for focus group discussion. Using the inductive thematic analysis, one category of theme was generated: program limitations and concerns as characterized by the following experiences: troubled finding industry partners, stressed due to overlapping schedules, feeling constrained due to inaccessibility of program resources, and overwhelmed by safety and security issues. The participants shared that they employ proactive actions as coping mechanism such as: establishing relationships with stakeholders, crafting training matrix and program continuity plan, organizing a skills training and institutional assessment, and communicating WIP guidelines and policies. Moreover, the insights drawn from SHS focal persons’ experiences in implementing WIP recommends paying attention to the program priorities such as including WIP to school planning, to appreciate the significance of program evaluation and monitoring; adapting best practices through benchmarking; and valuing the importance of setting up memorandum of agreement. Revisiting the program can be significant and beneficial to the learners and the implementers for sustainability and development of this program.