Lived Experiences of Senior High School (SHS) Teachers in Producing NC II Holders

Abstract

Abstract Technical-vocational education provides socially relevant pathways for skills formation, certification, and workforce participation among Senior High School learners. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Senior High School teachers in producing National Certificate II (NC II) holders in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) under the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track. Ten TVL-SMAW teachers from two public secondary schools in the Division of Ozamiz City participated through criterion-based complete enumeration. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Moustakas’ phenomenological procedures involving horizontalization, reduction, thematic clustering, textural and structural description, and synthesis of meanings. Findings revealed that teachers viewed TVL-SMAW as a route to employment, work readiness, and nationally recognized certification. However, they encountered challenges involving limited tools, equipment, consumables, workshop resources, varied learner readiness, absenteeism, limited training time, assessment documentation, and changing industry standards. Teachers responded through coaching, remediation, motivation-building, practice scheduling, resource rotation, mock assessments, early preparation, collaboration, and continuous professional learning. Support came from school administrators, fellow teachers, TESDA guidance, and parents. The study concludes that producing NC II holders requires sustained resources, TESDA-aligned teacher upskilling, school-industry coordination, assessment-preparation systems, and inclusive institutional support.