PCCI and TESDA to implement program to address job mismatch

MANILA, Philippines -The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have entered into an agreement to implement a program which will involve training of potential workers in a bid to address the country’s job mismatch.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by PCCI president Alfredo Yao and TESDA director general Joel Villanueva yesterday, the parties will promote and expand the reach of technical-vocational training among business chambers, industry and trade associations and individual enterprises.

The program called PCCI-TESDA Tech-Voc Project will be effective for two years.

The program seeks to encourage individuals to make available training spaces in their respective establishments to the trainees.

The parties will likewise formulate specific action plans to implement the program, to be reviewed periodically.

The students will undergo the training program for six months.

“With greater industry participation, through the PCCI, in honing the skills of the trainees, the result is a pool of talent armed with the qualifications that the companies need,” Villanueva said during the signing ceremony.

For his part, Yao said the program will allow companies to provide students with work-based experiences that will match what prospective employers want.

“What we are giving through the program are training and opportunity. If they do well in the training, then they can be hired,” he said.

He noted that 70 percent of the PCCI’s member companies have expressed willingness to participate in the program.

The group is hopeful though that even other businesses will be encouraged to take part of the program.

PCCI chairperson for the techvoc committee Alberto Fenix Jr. said in the same event the implementation of such program is important for the country to prepare students for the world of work and tap the potential of its young working population to accelerate and sustain economic growth.

“Tapping this potential requires providing good quality and relevant education and training that can develop and mold our human resources to be productive members of our country,” he said.

TESDA and PCCI have already partnered in the past to bolster the dual training and apprenticeship system that provides trainees hands-on experience in the workplace. 

Villanueva said linkages between TESDA and the industries are being institutionalized to ensure that the skills produced by the education system are attuned to the needs of the industry.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has downplayed results of the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey indicating further increase in the country’s unemployment rate.

She said the government as well as international planners are using the survey being undertaken by the National Statistics Office as basis since it is wider in scope.  —With reports from Mayen Jaymalin