Work Immersion Guidelines 2026: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026

DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026, signed on November 10, 2026, is DepEd’s new rulebook for the time Grade 12 learners spend learning in workplaces. It sets three experiences under the Strengthened Senior High School (SSHS) curriculum. Work immersion runs 320 to 640 hours and is required of every Technical-Professional (Tech-Pro) learner. Field exposure (off campus) runs 80 hours, and arts apprenticeship up to 160 hours; both are options for Academic Track learners, who may also take a 320-hour work immersion. Once it takes effect, the order repeals the 2017 work immersion guidelines in full. It also covers partners and their memoranda of agreement (MOAs), learner safety, grading, teacher loads and funds.

It applies first to the SSHS pilot schools, public and private, in School Year (SY) 2026-2027, and to every senior high school from SY 2027-2028. Paragraph numbers below refer to the order’s enclosure; “item” refers to the numbered paragraphs of the order itself. The rules are stated as of November 14, 2026.

Key findings

• Three older issuances go when it takes effect. DO 023 repeals DepEd Order No. 30, s. 2017, DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2018 and DepEd Memorandum No. 052, s. 2025 “in their entirety”, and it takes effect 15 days after its publication; until then the three still apply. It governs SSHS pilot implementers in SY 2026-2027 and all senior high schools from SY 2027-2028; the SHS Maritime Program gets a separate advisory or memorandum (items 3, 4 and 6).
• Tech-Pro learners must complete work immersion; Academic learners choose. Tech-Pro immersion is 320 hours in one term, or 540 to 640 hours over two consecutive terms. Academic Track learners may take field exposure (80 hours), arts apprenticeship (up to 160 hours), or work immersion (320 hours, Term 3 only, after set prerequisite electives) (paras. 1, 20 to 23).
• Eight hours a day, five days a week, no holidays. No model may make a learner work more than eight hours in a day or more than five days a week, and no hours are rendered on holidays or suspension days (paras. 15.c and 24.b).
• No placement without an inspected partner and a signed MOA. Schools and the Schools Division Office (SDO) inspect a partner before the agreement. The MOA, signed by the school head, must cover child protection, insurance, the training plan, data privacy and Adopt-A-School incentives (paras. 16 to 18 and 30).
• Public school learners pay nothing. A “No Collection Policy” governs all three experiences; a private school’s charges must be documented and follow the rules on tuition and other fees. Public schools insure learners from the Program Support Fund (PSF) or school Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE); private schools insure their own (paras. 17.a.iii and 36).
• Industry partners grade most of the work. A work immersion grade is 80% industry evaluation and 20% portfolio. Field exposure and arts apprenticeship are 70% performance tasks, 15% written works and 15% term assessment (para. 28; DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, Table 10).
• Monitoring is teaching load. Hours a work immersion teacher spends at industry venues count as actual teaching load, shown on the eSF7 with travel time and backed by a locator slip; teachers also hold a weekly one- to two-hour Kumustahan with deployed learners (paras. 27 and 31).

What DO 023, s. 2026 replaces and when it applies

DO 023 expressly repeals three issuances “in their entirety” (item 4):

• DepEd Order No. 30, s. 2017, Guidelines for Work Immersion;
• DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2018, which clarified it;
• DepEd Memorandum No. 052, s. 2025, the DepEd-PCORP pilot of an enhanced work immersion.

Any other issuance inconsistent with the guidelines is repealed or modified to that extent (item 5). The order takes effect “immediately upon its approval, issuance, and 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation” (item 6). Count the 15 days from that publication, not from the signing date: the order was signed on November 10, 2026, so it cannot take effect before November 25, 2026. Until it takes effect, DO 30, s. 2017, DO 39, s. 2018 and DM 052, s. 2025 continue to apply.

DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026 explains why the pilot schools come first. In SY 2026-2027 only the pilot schools run Grade 12 on the SSHS; all other schools finish Grade 12 on the 2016 curriculum, and both grades are on the SSHS everywhere from SY 2027-2028 (Encl. item 19, Table 4). The MATATAG and Strengthened SHS guide sets out the rollout.

Work immersion, field exposure and arts apprenticeship: who takes which

The order defines the three experiences and ties each to a track (paras. 1 and 8):

Arts apprenticeship is a school subject, not the “Apprenticeship” of Republic Act No. 12063, the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework Act, which is a TESDA-registered program for trainees at least 18 years old (paras. 8.a and 8.b).

These experiences fit the SSHS structure set by DO 017, s. 2026:

• Work immersion is “mandatory for all Tech-Pro learners” and optional for the Academic Track (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 16).
• Field Experience is a cluster of Academic electives, all optional: arts apprenticeship in seven art forms (160 hours each), Design and Innovation, Research 1 and 2, In-Campus Field Exposure for Sports (160 hours), Field Exposure (Off Campus) (80 hours) and Work Immersion for the Academic Track (320 hours) (Encl. item 17). DO 023 governs only the off-campus three: work immersion, field exposure (off campus) and arts apprenticeship.
• The choice depends on the learner’s exit. For the pilot batch, DepEd Memorandum No. 036, s. 2026 recommends work immersion to Academic learners “seeking immediate post-secondary employment”, and states: “Academic Track learners intending to pursue higher education are instead recommended to take Field Exposure” (Encl. item 17). DO 023 makes the same distinction: field exposure gives “career awareness and professional orientation that helps them choose their college degree programs” (para. 10).
• Cross-track learners. An Academic learner who took a Tech-Pro elective may take the Tech-Pro work immersion, and a Tech-Pro learner with the cross-track electives and the prerequisites may take the Academic one (DM 036, s. 2026, Annex A).

The full list of electives, with their hours and clusters, is in the Strengthened SHS electives guide. The prerequisites below are the ones the immersion rules add.

Prerequisites before deployment

The last row of DO 023’s Table 5, the table of “Work Immersion Pre-requisites Subjects for the Academic Track”, is headed “Arts Apprenticeship”, which is not a cluster. It reads “Complete the 4 (Four) elective subjects”: “Art Criticism & Creative Markets” (for applied and traditional, literary, media and visual arts), “Performance Criticism & Creative Markets” (for music, dance and theater), “Filipino Identities Through the Arts” and “Leadership and Management in the Arts”. The order does not say whether this row is a route into work immersion for learners who take the arts electives or the prerequisites for arts apprenticeship itself, and as of November 14, 2026 no issuance has settled it. DO 017’s Annex A asks an apprentice for Filipino Identity Through the Arts, Leadership and Management in the Arts and only the criticism elective that matches the art form. A school can plan so that a learner bound for either experience completes all four electives first, which meets both readings, or ask its SDO in writing.

The two orders differ on two more points. For the science cluster, DO 017’s Annex A also lists Basic Calculus, Advanced Mathematics and Fundamentals of Data Analytics, which DO 023’s Table 5 leaves out. DO 023 adds Creative Production and Presentation to the Social Sciences and Humanities list. DO 023 is the later order and repeals inconsistent provisions (item 5), so a school with a learner on a mathematics route, or counting Creative Production and Presentation, should get the SDO’s ruling in writing before deployment.

Hours, models and term placement

Schools choose a model “depending on the number of learners to be deployed, availability and capacity of industry partners/companies and institutions to host them” (para. 13). Within a model, schedules may be adjusted for five conditions: the nature of the industry, learner safety, age and well-being, the partner’s operating hours, the distance from school, and the partner’s absorptive capacity (para. 14). Under the three-term calendar, these experiences “may be scheduled during any of the three terms” in line with the models (DO 009, s. 2026, para. 30). The three-term calendar guide gives this year’s term dates.

Tech-Pro work immersion: one-term and two-term models

Source: DO 023, s. 2026, paras. 20.a and 20.b, Tables 2 and 3, and Annex H.

Read the table with three notes:

• The daily times are floors. Each figure is “only suggested as minimum and can be adjusted to a maximum of 8 hours per day” (Tables 2 to 4, notes). Annex H’s day counts are a sample: “The No. of Days per term may vary in every school year.”
• 640 hours needs a few longer days. At 5.5 hours over 116 days the sample reaches 638 hours, two short of 640; the table’s range of 5.5 to 6 hours a day leaves room to close the gap. Table 3 also prints “30 hours/week” beside 5 hours a day for Option 1, while Annex H’s own sample for that option counts 25 hours a week.
• Annex O prints 620 hours for the Term 2 and Term 3 option. The order’s text, Table 3, Annex H and the training plan template in Annex J all say 640, as does DO 017, s. 2026 (Table 10).

A separate set of sample class programs, in Memorandum OM-LS-2026-247 (Annex A), puts a Grade 12 Tech-Pro learner’s 320 hours of work immersion in Term 3, after one Tech-Pro elective in each of Terms 1 and 2. A day in DO 023’s sample schedules runs from 8:00 a.m. to between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., with an hour for lunch that is “Not Credited” and one Kumustahan a week (Annex H). DO 023 sets no time-of-day window; DO 39, s. 2018 limited immersion to 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and that limit goes with its repeal. DM 036 gives the class programs that fit these models: one Tech-Pro elective in Term 1, one in Term 2 and immersion in Term 3, or one elective in Term 1 and immersion across Terms 2 and 3 (Encl. item 24.b.i).

Academic Track work immersion

Academic learners complete 320 hours “applicable only in Term 3”, after their prerequisite electives (para. 21; Table 4). Table 4 suggests 5 hours a day, and Annex H’s Term 3 schedule uses 5.5 over a sample of 61 days. DO 009’s calendar for SY 2026-2027 gives Term 3 67 class days, 57 of them in the Instructional Block (para. 16; Annex B). At 5 hours a day, 320 hours take 64 days; within 57 days they need about 5.6 hours a day. DM 036 also puts Academic immersion “exclusively in the third term” (Encl. item 16).

Field exposure (off campus): 80 hours in three phases

Field exposure may be taken in Term 1, 2 or 3, depending on the school’s plan and the partners available, and “shall be taken only once” (para. 22).

DepEd’s Field Exposure (Off-Campus) curriculum guide has learners observe the host’s organizational structure, communication flow, leadership, teamwork, client interactions, technologies, decision making and professional practices, and ends with the learner’s career action plan. Annex I places the 40 workplace hours “in the middle of the term” on scheduled days. A note to DO 017’s sample programs, placed under its pathway with In-Campus Field Exposure for Sports, lets school heads schedule “the Field Exposure” “as a dedicated day or as a continuous time block” that does not coincide with other electives (Annex C).

Arts apprenticeship: up to 160 hours over three terms

The model in Table 6 uses all of Grade 12: prerequisite or other electives in Term 1, the apprenticeship in Term 2, and Creative Production and Presentation in Term 3 (para. 23).

The three phases together “should not exceed 160 hours” (Table 6, note). Annex O puts the off-campus part at 40 or 80 hours depending on the art form. The seven curriculum guides (dance, literary arts, media arts, music, theater arts, traditional cultural expressions and visual arts) each allot 160 hours in one term and end with a portfolio; the visual arts guide asks for “a task log sheet to document daily activities signed by the immediate supervisor.”

Before, during and after deployment

The order sets three phases for every placement (para. 16; Annex N):

The learner and parent orientation covers the guidelines, workplace ethics, company policies, learner rights and responsibilities, documents, schedule and grading (para. 16.a.iv). The partner orientation covers the partner’s duties, DepEd’s Child Protection Policy, the model, the schedule, the grading system and the MOA (para. 16.a.v). The industry-template MOA also has the school run pre-deployment sessions on “workplace ethics, communication, teamwork, digital tools, first aid, and financial literacy” (Annex A1, Sec. II.B).

Partners: who may host learners and how a school selects them

Who may be a partner

Schools may partner with “private corporations, industry associations, non-government organizations (NGOs), LGUs, NGAs, GOCC, and other duly recognized institutions” (para. 18). The annexes give MOA templates for companies, cooperatives, NGOs and local government units (LGUs) (Annexes A1 to A4). Arts apprenticeship partners include art organizations, production houses, independent artists or designers and cultural groups (para. 8.b).

The order pushes schools toward government offices. Schools “shall coordinate” with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the local Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) office to map public offices, public hospitals, community centers and agency branches such as DOST, DTI and DA in their area (para. 17.b.1.i). A government host must assign “a qualified public servant” as its focal person, and learners must not be “utilized exclusively for menial tasks or clerical ‘free labor’” (para. 17.b.1.ii and iii). Learners follow the office’s hours and keep its documents confidential, but stay under DepEd’s discipline (para. 17.b.1.iv).

One partner is barred outright. DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2012, which DO 023 lists among its references, sets guidelines that aim to “avoid all forms and manner of cooperation or partnership with the tobacco industry” (item 2.b).

What a partner must have

The order’s requirements (para. 17.b.2) and the Annex L checklist ask for:

• Legality: “a genuine willingness to train learners” and a valid business registration, BIR registration, health permit and mayor’s permit; Annex L adds years in operation and “No record of child labor or labor law violations”.
• Access and resources: a location that keeps travel short, and the tools, equipment, protective equipment and facilities for hands-on practice.
• Safety and supervision: workplace safety, qualified in-company trainers and a designated industry focal person who mentors and assesses the learners; Annex L adds occupational safety and health measures, a safety inspection certificate or equivalent, emergency exits and evacuation procedures, and a first-aid kit with emergency response procedures.
• Fit: tasks aligned with the learners’ electives, room for the number of learners, willingness to sign the MOA, and data privacy safeguards.

The evaluator marks the partner Approved, Conditionally Approved or Not Approved (Annex L). The school head, with the SDO CID and the education program supervisor or PSDS, conducts the meetings and inspections (paras. 16.a.i and 30). Before any MOA, “schools and SDOs shall conduct site inspections and due diligence to determine the suitability, safety, legality, and absorptive capacity of the partner institution” (para. 18).

How a school engages a partner

1. Map the area. Scan local firms and offices, read LGU, DOLE and PESO data, and consult chambers of commerce (para. 17.b.1.i).
2. Write and meet. Send “a formal letter of intent” and meet the company’s decision-makers (para. 17.b.3.i).
3. Agree on arrangements. Discuss policies, the in-company trainers and the training plan (para. 17.b.3.ii).
4. Keep a database of partners by industry and by how easily learners reach them (para. 17.b.3.iii).
5. Sign the MOA (para. 17.b.3.iv).

The SDO runs a “Division Level Rationalization and Coordination mechanism” so that schools do not crowd the same partners, and it manages large partnerships that cover several schools or a company’s branches (para. 30, SDO row). A MOA may be signed at the central, regional, division or school level (para. 8.n).

The memorandum of agreement

Every placement needs one. At a minimum the MOA covers learner safety and welfare; child protection under DepEd’s Child Protection Policy; the duration and schedule; the training plan and its competencies; monitoring and evaluation; insurance; confidentiality and data privacy; and Adopt-A-School incentives (para. 18). It must also bind the parties to the guidelines and state their roles, the model, the hours and the joint working group (paras. 16.a.ii and 17.a.i). Under DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, the suspension rules for immersion “shall be included in the memorandum of agreement” (para. 71). The school head is “the official signatory for the school in all Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)” (para. 30). The monitoring plan expects “100% of partnerships” to be formalized through “a notarized Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) prior to learner deployment” (Annex B, Sec. 4.A).

The four templates (Annexes A1 to A4) carry the clauses a school head should know before signing:

• A joint working group of both parties inspects the site on a set date, approves the training plan, and monitors the learners (Annex A1, Sec. II.A).
• The school keeps discipline. “The school retains the sole authority to discipline learners”, and offenses at the site go to the School Discipline Committee (Annex A1, Sec. II.B).
• No fees and capped hours. “Strictly no fees shall be charged to the school or learners”; the template leaves a line for agreed exceptions, such as medical or special training. Daily hours are “Not to exceed 8 hours” (Annex A1, Sec. IV).
• No employment. The partner “is not obliged to pay wage or salary since no employer-employee relationship exists”, though it may give transport or food allowances; eight criteria, such as training for the learner’s benefit and no displacement of regular employees, mark the arrangement as training (Annexes A2 to A4, Sec. VII; Annex A1, Sec. IX).
• Liability. Each party answers for losses or injuries caused by its own fault or negligence; the cooperative, NGO and LGU templates add that the school and its teachers “may be held accountable for the learner’s acts” (Annexes A1 to A4).
• Confidentiality and data privacy. Learners keep the partner’s business information confidential, and both parties follow Republic Act No. 10173, the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Annex A1, Secs. IX and XI).
• Ownership of outputs. Work a learner produces in regular immersion duties belongs to the partner; work done outside those duties belongs to the learner (Annexes A2 to A4, Sec. VI).
• Term. The company template runs for the years the parties write in and may be ended on 30 days’ written notice; the cooperative, NGO and LGU templates run for one school year and are renewed yearly (Annexes A1 to A4).

Adopt-A-School and EBET incentives

Partners are “encouraged” to give learners allowances for food, transport or medical needs, which may count as donations under the Adopt-A-School Program (para. 17.a.ii). Under Republic Act No. 8525, a donor may claim an additional deduction of 50% of the donation’s value and exemption from donor’s tax, subject to BIR rules. The partner executes a Deed of Donation, the school issues a Deed of Acceptance, and the SDO’s partnership focal helps with the papers (para. 18). The donation “shall not be construed as compensation for learner services rendered”, and learners “shall not be considered employees of the partner institution” (para. 18.iv). Cash allowances that are not Adopt-A-School donations go to the learners directly through the company’s human resource office (para. 36.b).

When there are not enough partners

A school in an area with few firms has three options (para. 26.b):

1. In-school simulation. “Mock-work” environments, workshops or learner-led activities that copy a real workplace’s workflow, safety standards and performance measures; the school head, the focal person and the elective teachers design them (para. 26.b.i; Table 7).
2. Government and LGU placement. “In the absence of private enterprises, schools shall prioritize partnerships with LGUs”: municipal halls, rural health units and public works offices (para. 26.b.ii).
3. Clustering. Small or remote schools form one hub, and the division invites one large partner to train learners on site or at a central school (para. 26.b.iii).

The EBET pathway for Tech-Pro learners

Qualified Tech-Pro learners may fulfill “all or part of their Work Immersion requirement” through an EBET program registered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under RA 12063. The pathway does not apply to ordinary placements (para. 19.a).

Source: DO 023, s. 2026, para. 19.b and 19.c.vi, Table 1.

The safeguards differ from ordinary immersion:

• Registration. Schools deal only with enterprises holding a valid TESDA Certificate of TVET Program Registration (CTPR) for the specific program, checked before enrollment (para. 19.c.i).
• Two agreements. The enterprise and the trainee sign TESDA’s EBET Agreement, which a parent or guardian signs for a learner aged 15 to 18 and which needs no notarization; the school and the enterprise sign a complementary MOA (para. 19.c.iv).
• Hours. Up to eight hours a day; trainees under 18 work no more than 40 hours a week and no overtime (para. 19.c.v).
• Workforce cap. EBET trainees may not exceed 20% of the enterprise’s regular workforce unless TESDA approves more (para. 19.c.vii).
• Insurance. An enterprise in a medium- or high-risk industry insures each trainee free of charge; school insurance only supplements it (para. 19.d.iii).
• Certificates. The enterprise issues a training certificate, and the school separately records the completed immersion; a National Certificate or Certificate of Competency comes only after a TESDA assessment (para. 19.e.i and ii).

Enterprises in a registered program may claim an additional 50% deduction of actual training expenses through December 31, 2027 and 75% from January 1, 2028, capped at 5% of total direct labor expenses or ₱25 million a year, whichever is lower. The same expense cannot be claimed under both EBET and Adopt-A-School (para. 19.e.iii). Where no registered program is available, the school uses the ordinary pathway, which “shall not be represented, recorded, or certified as an EBET Program” (para. 19.e).

Learner safety and welfare

Hours, days off and suspensions

• Daily and weekly limit. Whatever the model, no more than eight hours of work a day and five days a week (para. 15.c). The monitoring plan checks the logs for this (Annex B, Sec. 4.C).
• Holidays and suspensions. Learners “shall not render” hours on scheduled holidays, declared non-working holidays, or DepEd and local suspensions (para. 24.b.ii). They follow suspensions declared by DepEd, the LGU where the school is, and the LGU where the workplace is (para. 24.b.i).
• Learning continuity levels. Under DO 014, s. 2026, “Work immersion days under the Hinay, Hinga, and Hinto days shall not be permitted” (para. 71). The DO 014 guide explains the four levels, and the class suspension guide covers who declares a suspension.

Age

Standard immersion has no minimum age in DO 023, but the school adjusts schedules for “Learner safety, age and well-being” (para. 14.b). The age limits in the order are those of the EBET pathway: at least 15 for General EBET and 18 for apprenticeship (para. 19.b).

Work and places that are off limits

• Hazards. Every partner must provide the “protective equipment” learners need (para. 17.b.2.ii). The cooperative, NGO and LGU templates also commit the partner to provide personal protective equipment and to “Ensure that the learners will not be exposed to hazardous materials and working environment” (Annexes A2 to A4, Sec. II.C.9).
• Free labor. Tasks must match the learner’s track or electives; government partners may not use learners “exclusively for menial tasks or clerical ‘free labor’” (para. 17.b.1.iii). EBET trainees may not be used “primarily for menial, repetitive, or productive work” outside the training plan or to displace regular employees (para. 19.d.iv).
• Primacy of DepEd rules. Where industry practice and school policy conflict, “DepEd orders and existing school rules shall take precedence” (para. 33.a), and “No industry rule or task shall supersede the learner’s right to a safe, non-exploitative environment” (para. 33.b).

Insurance, consent, health documents and travel

• Insurance. Public schools pay for it from the PSF or school MOOE, built into the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) and School Improvement Plan (SIP); private schools make sure their learners are insured (paras. 17.a.iii and 36.c). The focal person prepares the insurance with the other documents (para. 30).
• Parental consent. Annex F is the consent form, verified by the adviser and the school head; the industry-template MOA asks for a copy of the parent’s valid government-issued ID (Annex A1, Sec. II.B). The form says “DepEd employees and personnel may not be held responsible for any untoward incident that may happen beyond their control”. It does not lift the school’s duties: schools exercise special parental authority over learners on placement (para. 24.b.iii), and each MOA party answers for its own negligence.
• Medical certificates are among the documents learners submit before deployment (para. 16.a.iv). The order does not say who pays for them. DepEd’s April 2026 policy briefer said medical clearances, certificates and insurance would be charged to school funds or MOOE, but the order as issued names only insurance. The industry template leaves a line for agreed exceptions to its no-fee clause, such as medical costs (Annex A1, Sec. IV). In a public school, plan the cost in the AIP or agree in the MOA that the partner covers it.
• Travel. Partners should be accessible “to minimize learner’s travel” (para. 17.b.2.ii); Annex L checks that the worksite is “within reasonable travel distance”. The order lets MOOE pay the focal persons’ travel and monitoring (para. 36.a). For learners’ fares it names only partner allowances (para. 17.a.ii); clustering is meant to cut “travel risks and costs for students” (para. 26.b.iii).

Child protection and conduct

Partners are oriented on child protection, data privacy and gender sensitivity (para. 17.a.iv). The partner signs the Child Protection Agreement (Annex E) and returns it before any activity with learners. In it the partner affirms that it has read DepEd’s Child Protection Policy, will report concerns “to the designated school authorities immediately”, and understands that breaches “may result in the termination of our partnership and possible legal action”.

Any breach of conduct during the program “remains a school-related offense”. The industry focal may report it, but the teacher and the school head “retain the sole authority to impose disciplinary actions following DepEd’s due process” (para. 33.c). In cases of abuse or exploitation, the school follows DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, the Child Protection Policy (para. 24.b.iii). The child protection guide covers that policy’s committee, reporting periods and referrals.

The weekly Kumustahan

The Kumustahan is “a dedicated 1 - 2 hour weekly mentoring and monitoring session” (para. 8.j) between the teacher and the deployed learners:

• Purpose. It checks each learner’s physical and emotional condition with a “Kumustahan Checklist”, deals with workplace problems, and gives guidance on the electives (para. 27.b).
• Schedule. It runs by class or sector once a week, at a time the focal persons agree, “outside of their immersion schedules” (para. 27.a).
• Format. It may be held online for learners at remote sites, or as an on-site visit by the teacher (para. 27.c.ii).
• Problems raised. Concerns “shall follow the action process under DepEd Order no. 40 s. 2012 Annex A” on adult-to-learner protection concerns (para. 27.b.ii).

What to do after an incident

The order has no single incident procedure, but its rules fit together in this order:

1. Report it. The industry focal reports “concerns or incidents promptly” to the teacher (para. 30); learners submit incident reports to the focal person (para. 30, learners’ row).
2. Escalate it. Injuries and breaches of the Child Protection Policy are “reported immediately to the School Discipline Committee and SDO for action” (Annex B, Sec. 6). The SDO helps with “serious disciplinary cases or accidents” during placements (para. 30, SDO row).
3. Follow the child protection process. Abuse or exploitation goes through DO 40, s. 2012 (paras. 24.b.iii and 27.b.ii).
4. Move the learner if needed. Reassignment to another partner follows the contingency rules under “Failing a grade, or falling short of the hours” below (para. 25, Table 7).
5. Use the MOA. Under its liability clause, each party answers for its own fault or negligence, and the learner’s insurance applies. A material breach is a ground to end the MOA, and the Child Protection Agreement warns of termination.

How immersion, field exposure and apprenticeship are graded

The teacher and the industry focal “will jointly assess” the learner (para. 28).

Source: DO 023, s. 2026, para. 28.a and 28.b; DO 015, s. 2026, Encl. items 46 and Table 10.

The industry evaluation (Annex D, Part V) rates the learner from 1 (Needs Intervention) to 5 (Exemplary) on three blocks:

• Technical skills, 40%: theory application, tool or software mastery, accuracy and quality, technical logic, and safety and protocol.
• Soft skills and employability, 30%: communication, critical thinking, adaptability and collaboration.
• Work habits and professionalism, 30%: punctuality, integrity, initiative, and resourcefulness and orderliness.

The teacher’s portfolio rubric (Annex D, Part VI) weights evidence of learning at 70%, organization and form at 20%, and overall presentation at 10%. Evidence includes daily time records, weekly journals, annotated photos and work samples.

A worked example

A learner in Automotive Servicing gets these ratings from the shop’s focal person:

1. Technical skills: 4, 4, 5, 4 and 5, or 22 points.
2. Soft skills: 4, 4, 4 and 5, or 17 of 20 points, so 85%.
3. Work habits: 5, 5, 4 and 4, or 18 of 20 points, so 90%.

The sheet’s printed formula for every block is “(Sum of points / 20) x 100”, but the technical block has five indicators worth 25 points. Divided by 20, the 22 points become 110%. Divided by the 25-point maximum, they become 88%. The order does not address this; dividing by 25 keeps the score within 100%. On that basis:

The portfolio sheet’s totals row multiplies each criterion’s weight by its rating (70 × 4 + 20 × 5 + 10 × 4 = 420) but does not say how that total becomes a percentage; dividing by 5 gives 84%, the same as rating each criterion out of 5, as above. Annex D recommends a mid-term evaluation with the same rubric so the learner can improve before the final rating.

From the grade to the SF9 and the general average

• Who records it. The teacher consolidates the evaluations and computes the grade for “submission to the learner’s class adviser” at the end of the term (para. 16.c.ii). Final numerical grades are recorded in the class record and reflected in the SF9 (DO 015, s. 2026, Encl. item 59.b). The e-class record and SF9 guide covers the templates.
• Units in the general average. The SSHS computes the general average with units (DO 017, s. 2026, Annex E). Its samples enter a 320-hour work immersion as 12 units in its term, like a Grade 12 Tech-Pro elective. A two-term immersion appears as two 320-hour entries, each graded in its own term. An 80-hour academic elective is 3 units, and arts apprenticeship is 6 units (Table 19). Table 19 does not list the Academic Track’s work immersion; its 320 hours match a Grade 12 Tech-Pro elective’s 12 units, but no text says so.
• Transmutation. DO 023’s computation stops at the weighted sum. DO 015 applies an adjusted transmutation table to Initial Grades in SY 2026-2027, where 70 becomes 75, and zero-based grading from SY 2027-2028 (Encl. items 48 and 50). Follow the SSHS e-class record DepEd issues for the year. The DO 015 guide explains both.
• Award. DO 015 gives an Excellence in Work Immersion, Field Exposure, and Arts Apprenticeship award to the Grade 12 learner with the highest grade in each, “duly endorsed by the industry partner or supervisor”, who has “an outstanding academic rating of at least 90” (Encl. item 77, Table 13; Annex H).

Failing a grade, or falling short of the hours

Two different problems have two different remedies:

• Missing hours. Hours are completed within the period the school and partner agree on (para. 24.a.i). A learner who cannot finish because of absences, dropping out, behavior or health gets “a mandatory action plan” (para. 24.a.ii). Failing to complete the hours “may result in the learner being ineligible for graduation” (para. 24.a.iii). DO 017 makes completion of “all prescribed subjects and hours” mandatory for the diploma (Encl. item 26).
• A failing grade. A final grade below 75 follows DO 015’s remediation rules: a summer remedial class for a learner who failed at most two learning areas, and retention for more than two (Encl. item 67). For the pilot batch, DM 036 sets the Summer Academic Remedial Program (SARP) or end-of-term remediation for one or two failed electives (Encl. item 33).

The contingency table gives the remedies for deployment problems:

Source: DO 023, s. 2026, para. 25, Table 7, and para. 26.

A learner moved because the first host cannot finish the hours needs a certified record of hours from both hosts, and the transfer is reviewed and approved by the work immersion focal person (para. 26.a). Table 7 also names the school head’s approval as proof of the transfer.

Roles and responsibilities

DepEd’s school head checklist for the three-term calendar lists two related tasks: “Coordinate with partners for work immersion” and “Monitor work immersion, arts apprenticeship, and field exposure activities”. It is a planning aid, not an issuance.

Teaching load, staffing and overload pay

Section VII of the order settles how the teacher’s time counts:

• Monitoring is teaching load. Hours a work immersion teacher spends at industry venues “shall be considered part of their actual teaching load” under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024 (para. 31.a.i).
• The eSF7 shows it. The teacher’s program on the e-School Form 7 states the credited hours, including travel and supervision at venues, “supported by the issuance of a Locator Slip signed by the School Head” (para. 31.a.ii).
• The Tech-Pro assignment counts as six teaching loads. Tech-Pro immersion is assigned to a work immersion focal and “considered a teaching load equivalent to 6 regular teaching loads in a specified term”, though this “will vary depending on the school matrix of teachers, number of classes and loading and assignment” (para. 30). Field exposure and arts apprenticeship go to the elective teacher (para. 30).
• Exemption or flexible programs. School heads may exempt immersion teachers from regular classroom teaching during the deployment term, or program the teacher’s electives in longer, fewer sessions, for example 3 hours a subject (para. 31.b.i and ii).
• Not class advisory. The teacher’s “advisory and Kumustahan” function is “part of the delivery of instruction”, distinct from class advisory, which is an ancillary task (para. 31.b.iii).
• Overload pay. Assignments beyond the six-hour teaching day, monitoring included, are paid as teaching overload under DO 005, s. 2024 and DepEd Memorandum No. 053, s. 2024. Teaching-related work beyond regular hours that is not instructional load falls under DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2025. Overload is charged to the teaching overload line item (para. 32).

DO 017 sets who may teach the Field Experience electives: arts and design or MAPEH teachers for arts apprenticeship, and “Teachers relevant to the specific strand or prerequisite Electives taken” for field exposure (Encl. item 22, Table 6). The overload pay computation guide shows how the pay is worked out.

Funds: what the school may pay for, and what learners may not be charged

The SDO oversees the use of the PSF (para. 30). The school MOOE guide explains how to plan these costs in the AIP.

Every annex and form, and what each is for

Two cross-references in the text point to the wrong annex. Paragraph 35 calls the monitoring and evaluation plan Annex M; it is Annex P. Paragraph 16.b.v sends the evaluation and certificate to Annex K, which holds the certificate; the evaluation form is in Annex D.

What changed from DO 30, s. 2017

Sources: DO 30, s. 2017, Encl. Secs. 1, 5 to 8 and Table 1; DO 39, s. 2018, Clarifications a to e and Additional Information a to g; DO 023, s. 2026, as cited above.

Learners with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples learners, private schools and the PCORP pilot

Learners with disabilities. DO 023 defines “Inclusive Immersion” as immersion that gives “reasonable accommodation for learners with special needs, ensuring equal access to experiential learning through adaptive technologies, and/or flexible schedules” (para. 8.f). It sets no separate procedure, and DO 39’s rule on accommodation, modification and adaptation goes with its repeal. DepEd Order No. 044, s. 2021 still applies: it plans “work immersion and employment opportunities with communities and industry/business partners” through each learner’s Individual Transition Plan (Sec. VI.A.3.3). Choose partners and tasks with the accommodations in mind, and write them into the training plan.

Indigenous Peoples learners and communities. DO 023 has no provision on them. DO 017 requires the SSHS to be “contextualized in the implementation of various inclusive education programs, including, but not limited to, Special Needs Education (SNEd) and Indigenous Peoples Education Program (IPEd)” (Encl. item 8). DepEd’s curriculum guide for the Traditional Cultural Expressions apprenticeship adds a rule for lessons that use indigenous music, dance, designs or rituals: “teachers must ensure that Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is obtained from the relevant Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs)”. It cites Republic Act No. 8371 and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples’ FPIC guidelines.

Private schools. The order covers private pilot schools now and all private senior high schools from SY 2027-2028 (para. 6). They insure their own learners (para. 17.a.iii), and any immersion charge must be transparent and follow the rules on tuition and other fees (para. 36.d). Private schools may keep a two-semester calendar if they meet the required hours (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 20); the order’s models are built on three terms.

The DepEd-PCORP pilot. DM 052, s. 2025 ran an enhanced work immersion with the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation (PCORP) in fourteen schools in nine regions, from SY 2025-2026 to SY 2026-2027 (items 1 and 5; Annex A). It set 420 or 640 hours for Grade 12 learners at least 16 years old, in formal school or the Alternative Learning System. Partners had to provide meal or transport allowances and accident and health insurance (Encl. paras. 15, 19 and 24). DO 023 repeals the memorandum in full once it takes effect (item 4), ending the PCORP options in the pilot’s second year. A PCORP school that is also an SSHS pilot implementer follows DO 023 for its SSHS Grade 12. Its old-curriculum and ALS learners are in the position described in the note on Grade 12 outside the pilot schools.

What this means for school heads

1. Confirm which rules apply to each Grade 12 group. SSHS pilot learners follow DO 023 once it takes effect, and DO 30 and DO 39 until then. For old-curriculum learners this year, get the SDO’s ruling in writing (see the note at the top).
2. Fix the model early. Count your Tech-Pro learners by elective, list the partners and slots, then choose one-term or two-term deployment by term. Put the model in the class program and the MOA. Academic work immersion goes in Term 3 only.
3. Inspect before you sign. Visit each partner with the SDO CID or the PSDS, use the Annex L checklist, and record the decision. Only then sign the MOA; the school head is the signatory, and the plan expects it notarized before deployment.
4. Write the MOA to protect learners. Include the eight-hour day, the suspension rules of DO 014, insurance, the training plan, data privacy, child protection and Adopt-A-School terms. Have the partner sign the Child Protection Agreement before day one.
5. Appoint and load the staff properly. Appoint a work immersion focal person and teachers. Credit their monitoring as teaching load on the eSF7, sign their locator slips, and use the exemption or flexible programming where loads exceed six hours, or pay overload.
6. Fund what the order allows. Put insurance and monitoring travel in the AIP from PSF or MOOE. In a public school, collect nothing from learners or parents; in a private school, document every charge and follow the rules on tuition and other fees. Document every partner allowance.
7. Keep the records. These include the partner database, inspection checklists, signed MOAs, training plans, consent forms, insurance proof, the list of learners (Annex G), daily time records, Kumustahan notes, certificates and evaluations, portfolios and grades. Send the consolidated report to the SDO within 15 working days after the school year.
8. Watch the deadlines inside the term. Partners submit evaluations and certificates within five working days of completion, and grades go to advisers on the grading schedule. Hold the Kumustahan every week.

Building and keeping industry partners serves PPSSH Domain 5’s community engagement strand (Domain 5 guide). Teacher loads and funds belong to Domain 2 (Domain 2 guide). Safe placements and career awareness belong to Domain 3’s learning environment and career awareness and opportunities strands (Domain 3 guide).

How the NASH may test this

The items below are original practice items, scored 3 (Relational), 2 (Multistructural), 1 (Unistructural) or 0 (Prestructural). An option that breaks a rule scores 0.

Question 1

Indicator 5.5.2, Community engagement. Career Stage 2, Situational, Moderate.

You are the school head of a public senior high school in a farming municipality with few private firms. The mayor offers to host 40 Grade 12 Tech-Pro learners in Computer Systems Servicing at the municipal hall for their 320-hour work immersion. The mayor’s office wants them to start next Monday, encoding a backlog of business permits, and says the mayor’s letter is enough to cover the arrangement. What is the most appropriate action?

• A. Accept the offer, sign the DepEd agreement template with the mayor this week so learners start Monday, and have the immersion teacher check that their tasks match the elective.
• B. Tell the mayor’s office that encoding permits does not fit the elective, and look for a private computer shop in the next town to host the learners instead.
• C. Welcome the offer, inspect the offices with the division, agree on computer servicing tasks and a qualified LGU focal person, then sign the agreement and deploy.
• D. Deploy the learners on Monday as the mayor asks, since a government host needs no agreement, and draft one during the first weeks of their immersion.

Answer and explanation: Question 1

Best answer: C. Points: A = 2, B = 1, C = 3, D = 0.

• A (2 points, Multistructural). It takes the partner and uses the right agreement, but it signs and deploys before the site inspection and leaves the tasks to be fixed after learners are already encoding permits.
• B (1 point, Unistructural). It sees that clerical encoding does not fit the elective, but it drops a government partner that the guidelines tell schools in areas without private firms to prioritize, and sends learners farther away.
• C (3 points, Relational). It builds the partnership the right way: inspection with the division, tasks aligned with the elective, a qualified focal person from the LGU, and an agreement signed before deployment.
• D (0 points, Prestructural). Every placement, including a government one, must be formalized through a memorandum of agreement before learners are deployed; deploying first breaks that rule.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 5.5.2 asks the school head to initiate partnerships with authorities and industries that strengthen support for learners. DO 023, s. 2026 has schools “prioritize partnerships with LGUs” where private firms are absent (para. 26.b.ii), requires site inspections “Prior to partnership execution” (para. 18), and bars using learners “exclusively for menial tasks or clerical ‘free labor’” (para. 17.b.1.iii). The option that signs this week gets the partner and the agreement right but skips the inspection and the task design that make the placement a learning one.

Indicator 5.5.2: Initiate partnerships with the community, such as parents, alumni, authorities, industries and other stakeholders, to strengthen support for learner development, as well as school and community improvement.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026, paras. 16.a, 17.b.1, 18 and 26.b; Annex B, Sec. 4.A.

Question 2

Indicator 3.6.2, Learning environment. Career Stage 2, Situational, Moderate.

You are the school head of an urban senior high school. At the weekly check-in session, four Grade 12 Tech-Pro learners in Automotive Servicing report that their host auto shop has kept them until 7:00 p.m. on most days, about ten hours, to finish customer jobs. It has also had them spray-paint car parts without masks. The shop is the school’s largest partner and hosts 25 of your learners. What is the most appropriate action?

• A. Have the immersion teacher and the shop’s focal person stop the overtime and the painting today for all 25 learners, inform the parents, and reassign learners if it recurs.
• B. Write the shop’s owner citing the agreement’s eight-hour limit and its duty to give protective equipment, and ask the immersion teacher to check compliance at the next scheduled visit.
• C. Remind the four learners at the next check-in session to refuse overtime and unsafe tasks, and to tell the immersion teacher whenever these happen again at the shop.
• D. Let the learners keep the longer days, since they will finish their 320 hours sooner, and ask the shop to lend them masks for the painting work from now on.

Answer and explanation: Question 2

Best answer: A. Points: A = 3, B = 2, C = 1, D = 0.

• A (3 points, Relational). It ends both hazards now for every learner at the shop, through the people the guidelines make responsible, keeps parents informed, and uses reassignment to another partner if the violations recur.
• B (2 points, Multistructural). It cites the right rules through a proper channel, but it leaves the learners in ten-hour days and unprotected painting until a later visit, when the guidelines say concerns should be addressed immediately.
• C (1 point, Unistructural). It listens to the learners, but it puts the burden of enforcing the rules on them and does nothing with the partner.
• D (0 points, Prestructural). No model may have a learner work more than eight hours a day, and keeping learners in harm’s way for faster completion breaks the rule on learner safety.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 3.6.2 asks the school head to manage a healthy learning environment, which for deployed learners includes the workplace. DO 023, s. 2026 caps work at eight hours a day (para. 15.c), says no industry task “shall supersede the learner’s right to a safe, non-exploitative environment” (para. 33.b), and allows reassignment to another partner with the school head’s approval (para. 25, Table 7). The letter to the owner cites the right rules but leaves the learners exposed while the school waits.

Indicator 3.6.2: Manage a learner-friendly, inclusive and healthy learning environment.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026, paras. 15.c, 16.b.iv, 17.b.2.ii, 25, 27 and 33; Annex A1, Sec. IV.

Question 3

Indicator 2.4.1, Management of staff. Career Stage 1, Conceptual, Easy.

An assistant school principal is studying how the 2026 work immersion guidelines treat the hours a work immersion teacher spends monitoring learners at industry venues. Which statement best describes that treatment?

• A. They count toward the teacher’s teaching load, logged in an accomplishment report the teacher files with the school head after each visit to a venue.
• B. They are part of the teacher’s actual teaching load, shown on the eSF7 with travel and supervision time and backed by a locator slip the school head signs.
• C. They are official travel, needing a travel order from the Schools Division Superintendent for each trip, while the teacher’s eSF7 shows only classroom hours.
• D. They are an ancillary task like class advisory, done outside the hours on the teacher’s eSF7 and credited through service credits, not as teaching load.

Answer and explanation: Question 3

Best answer: B. Points: A = 2, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0.

• A (2 points, Multistructural). It treats monitoring as teaching load, but it records the hours in an accomplishment report instead of the eSF7 and leaves out travel time and the school head’s locator slip.
• B (3 points, Relational). It connects the rule (monitoring is actual teaching load) with how the school documents it on the eSF7, including travel, and how the school head authorizes each trip.
• C (1 point, Unistructural). It sees that leaving the school needs authority, but it misses that the hours are teaching load, shown on the eSF7, and that a locator slip signed by the school head is the required document.
• D (0 points, Prestructural). The guidelines say the immersion teacher’s advisory and Kumustahan function is part of instruction and distinct from class advisory, which is an ancillary task.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 2.4.1 asks for understanding of the issuances on managing school staff. DO 023, s. 2026 counts the hours at industry venues as “part of their actual teaching load” under DO 005, s. 2024 (para. 31.a.i). The eSF7 must include “the time allotted for travel and supervision at immersion venues”, with “a Locator Slip signed by the School Head” (para. 31.a.ii). The accomplishment report option gets the category right but not the record the order prescribes.

Indicator 2.4.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of laws, policies, guidelines and issuances on managing school staff.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026, paras. 30, 31 and 32; DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024.

Nothing in this guide reproduces or predicts examination content.

Frequently asked questions

What is DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026 (DO 23)?

It is DepEd’s guidelines on the Strengthened Senior High School work immersion, field exposure (off campus) and arts apprenticeship, signed on November 10, 2026. It takes effect 15 days after its publication and then replaces DO 30, s. 2017, DO 39, s. 2018 and DM 052, s. 2025. It applies to SSHS pilot schools in SY 2026-2027 and to all senior high schools from SY 2027-2028 (DO 023, s. 2026, items 1, 3, 4 and 6).

How many hours is work immersion under the new guidelines?

For Tech-Pro learners, 320 hours in one term or 540 to 640 hours over two consecutive terms. For Academic learners who choose it, 320 hours in Term 3. A learner may not work more than eight hours a day or five days a week (DO 023, s. 2026, paras. 15.c, 20 and 21).

Is work immersion required for the Academic Track?

No. Academic learners may take it as an elective, or choose field exposure (80 hours) or arts apprenticeship (up to 160 hours) instead. For the pilot batch, DepEd recommends work immersion for learners bound for employment and field exposure for those bound for college (DO 023, s. 2026, para. 1; DM 036, s. 2026, Encl. item 17).

Can a school collect fees or let partners charge learners for work immersion?

Not in a public school. The order applies a “No Collection Policy”, and the MOA template says “Strictly no fees shall be charged to the school or learners”. Public schools insure learners from the PSF or MOOE. A private school’s charges must be transparent and follow the rules on tuition and other school fees (DO 023, s. 2026, para. 36; Annex A1, Sec. IV).

How is the work immersion grade computed?

The industry evaluation is 80% of the grade and the teacher-rated portfolio is 20%. The industry evaluation weights technical skills at 40%, soft skills at 30% and work habits at 30%. Field exposure and arts apprenticeship use 70% performance tasks, 15% written works and 15% term examination (DO 023, s. 2026, para. 28; DO 015, s. 2026, Table 10).

Sources

DepEd issuances

• DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Strengthened Senior High School Work Immersion, Field Exposure (Off Campus), and Arts Apprenticeship, November 10, 2026: items 1 to 8; Enclosure, paras. 1 to 36, Tables 1 to 8; Annexes A1 to P.
• DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum, June 4, 2026: Encl. items 8, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22 and 26, Table 10; Annexes A, C and E.
• Memorandum OM-LS-2026-247, Clarifications on Time Allotment, Class Programming, and Learning Resources for the Strengthened Senior High School (SSHS) Curriculum, Office of the Undersecretary for Learning Systems, June 16, 2026: Annex A.
• DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, Revised Guidelines on Classroom Assessment, Grading System, and Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, June 4, 2026: Encl. items 46, 48, 49, 50, 59, 67 and Table 10.
• DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies, June 4, 2026: para. 71.
• DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education, April 16, 2026: paras. 16 and 30; Annex B.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 036, s. 2026, Pilot Implementation of the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum for Grade 12 in School Year 2026-2027, May 28, 2026: Encl. items 16, 17, 24 and 33; Annex A.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 052, s. 2025, Guidelines for the DepEd-PCORP Pilot Implementation of the Enhanced Senior High School Work Immersion Program in Selected Schools, June 24, 2025 (repealed): items 1 and 5; Encl. paras. 15, 19 and 24; Annex A.
• DepEd Order No. 30, s. 2017, Guidelines for Work Immersion, June 5, 2017 (repealed): Encl. Secs. 1, 5 to 8.
• DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2018, Clarifications and Additional Information to DepEd Order No. 30, s. 2017 (Guidelines on Work Immersion), September 21, 2018 (repealed): Clarifications and Additional Information.
• DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019, Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program, August 22, 2019: Annex 2, para. 57.
• DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015, Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, April 1, 2015.
• DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, Rationalization of Teachers’ Workload in Public Schools and Payment of Teaching Overload, April 29, 2024.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 053, s. 2024, Implementation Guidelines for DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, September 27, 2024.
• DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2025, Guidelines on the Payment of Overtime Services of Teachers, September 6, 2025.
• DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, DepEd Child Protection Policy, May 14, 2012.
• DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2012, Guidelines on the Adoption and Implementation of Public Health Policies on Tobacco Control and Protection Against Tobacco Industry Interference, January 18, 2012: item 2.b.
• DepEd Order No. 044, s. 2021, Policy Guidelines on the Provision of Educational Programs and Services for Learners with Disabilities in the K to 12 Basic Education Program, November 2, 2021: Sec. VI.A.3.3.

Laws

• Republic Act No. 12063, Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act, November 7, 2024, as applied in DO 023, s. 2026, para. 19.
• Republic Act No. 8525, Adopt-a-School Act of 1998, as applied in DO 023, s. 2026, para. 18.
• Republic Act No. 10173, Data Privacy Act of 2012, as applied in DO 023, s. 2026, Annex A1, Sec. XI.
• Republic Act No. 8371, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, as cited in DepEd’s Arts Apprenticeship (Traditional Cultural Expressions) curriculum guide.

DepEd materials

• DepEd, Guidelines on the Strengthened Work Immersion, Field Exposure, and Arts Apprenticeship: Policy Briefer, last updated April 10, 2026.
• DepEd, 3-Term Calendar Checklist for School Heads, SY 2026-2027.
• DepEd curriculum guides for Field Exposure (Off-Campus) and for Arts Apprenticeship in Dance, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Music, Theater Arts, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Visual Arts, Grade 12, Strengthened Senior High School.

Learning Systems reforms, SY 2026-2027

• DepEd Learning Systems Reforms: SY 2026-2027 Guide
• DepEd Three-Term School Calendar 2026-2027: DO 009 Guide
• DepEd Opening Block: The First Weeks of Term 1
• From Curriculum to Lesson: Unpacking and Budget of Work
• DepEd ILAW Lesson Plan, DO 016, s. 2026: School Head’s Role
• ILAW Lesson Plan: How to Write One, With Samples
• DepEd Pedagogy Cards: 50 Teaching Strategies by Key Stage
• DepEd Grading System, DO 015, s. 2026: School Head’s Role
• DepEd E-Class Record and SF9 for SY 2026-2027
• DepEd Learning Continuity in Emergencies: DO 014, s. 2026
• DepEd Flexible Learning Program (FLP) Explained
• MATATAG Curriculum and Strengthened SHS in SY 2026-2027
• Strengthened SHS Electives: Full List by Cluster
• Work Immersion Guidelines 2026: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026 (this post)

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: DepEd Order No. 023, s. 2026; DepEd Order Nos. 017, 015, 014 and 009, s. 2026; DepEd Memorandum No. 036, s. 2026; Memorandum OM-LS-2026-247; DepEd Memorandum No. 052, s. 2025; DepEd Order No. 30, s. 2017; DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2018; DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019; DepEd’s policy briefer and curriculum guides.