By upskilling and reskilling the workers, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte believe they can easily adjust to the demands in workplaces.
On Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, President Marcos and Vice President Duterte sat down with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Jobs Sector, which is led by lead convenor Sabin Aboitiz and PSAC Jobs Sector lead Joey Concepcion, and recommended programs that would primarily help farmers; micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); business process outsourcing agents; overseas Filipino workers (OFWs); and medical practitioners, among other local workers.
“PSAC agreed and is in full support of the government’s drive in upskilling, reskilling our own talents and retooling the education system. These will provide a wide range of opportunities amongst Filipino workers to create a skill-set that is future-ready,” said Concepcion, RFM president and chief executive officer (CEO).
Several priority programs were recommended by PSAC: Giving MSMEs access to money, markets and mentoring; enabling them to undertake digital transformation; identify labor-intensive, high-potential business segments/industry clusters that the Philippines can compete in and aggressively promote; and authorize the Commission on Higher Education and its attached agency Unified Student Financial Assistance System to immediately implement the long-term student loan provision of Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
In a report released by the Office of the Press Secretary, President Marcos raised the need to retrain and reskill OFWs, who wish to return home and stay in the country for good.
The President cited workers in the BPO industry, for instance, who have ramped up efforts to upskill themselves for offshore medical jobs.
Marcos, who presided over the meeting, reported that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) eyes for additional 17 innovation centers that will help Tesda gear toward a high skills training program, hence the need for Filipino workers to upskill to stay competitive.
President Marcos has committed to helping Filipino workers flourish by streamlining existing processes and making it easier for MSMEs to thrive.
Among those present in the meeting were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Tesda Deputy Director General Tonisito Machiaveli Umali, Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr.
Also present were PSAC lead convenor and Aboitiz Group president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz, JG Summit CEO Lance Y. Gokongwei, PSAC Secretariat lead Geraldine Polanco-Onganon, PSAC Communication Lead Ginggay Hontiveros and representatives from McKinsey & Company.
PSAC has been created by President Marcos to create and strengthen innovative new synergies between the private and public sectors. It is composed of business leaders and experts across six main sectoral groups — agriculture, digital infrastructure, jobs, healthcare, Build-Build-Build and tourism. (PR)