Digital literacy and ICT skills of senior high school learners in the technical vocational and livelihood education track

This paper examines the digital literacy and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills of Grade 12 learners in the Technical Vocational and Livelihood (TVL) track in Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School. The study used a quantitative descriptive-developmental design with sample size of 184 respondents. The aim of the study was to evaluate the competencies of the learners in the main areas of digital literacy, barriers experienced by the learners, and the creation of Digital Literacy Enhancement Program (DIGI-TVL) to support the existing gaps. 
The results indicated that the respondents mostly exhibited a high degree of digital literacy (WM = 3.72), especially in communication and collaboration, digital safety and security. But the skills related to problem solving and higher order thinking abilities were relatively less. At the same time, the findings revealed that students had moderate barriers in all areas, but critical thinking, information evaluation, and technology access were the most significant barriers, which demonstrates the existence of a digital divide between students.
The research finds that TVL learners have the basics of digital skills but still require much on enhancing higher-order abilities including problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills. Moreover, everyone should have equal access to ICT assets and systematic digital literacy programs to make sure that learners are sufficiently equipped to meet the requirements of the technology-oriented labor market.
In relation to these findings, the schools are recommended to make ICT more accessible and introduce the developed systematic digital literacy training like the DIGI-TVL intervention into the school curriculum.