THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has identified six priority sectors for upskilling employees in a program it is carrying out in partnership with the Singapore government.
The DTI in September signed a memorandum of understanding with SkillsFuture Singapore — an arm of Singapore’s Ministry of Education — to address the skills gap in the Philippine workforce.
In a briefing Tuesday, DTI said that the project will target tourism, food services, retail, logistics, design, and global competitiveness as priority skills tracks.
In setting priorities, the DTI considered the availability and readiness of different sectors to collaborate with.
“We’re really looking at three lenses. The lens of the individual or the employee, and then the business side, and then the training provider,” DTI Competitiveness Innovation Group Assistant Secretary Mary Jean T. Pacheco said.
She believes that the sectors identified are “more ready than most” for a skills upgrade program.
Philippine Trade Training Center Deputy Executive Director Nelly Nita N. Dillera added that the sectors were also chosen based on the readiness of plans such as the Philippine export development plan.
Singapore’s skills development framework took around five years to complete, Skills Development Systems Singapore Director Anderson Tan said in an interview after the conference. This is because of challenges in getting the education system on board.
Mr. Tan believes that because the Singapore framework already exists, the program can start addressing at least 20 Philippine sectors within two years.
He said that implementation in terms of reaching a larger Philippine population and stitching together various stakeholders could prove a challenge.
“I think where the challenge will be… it is not just about contextualizing the skills framework which is the content. It is about the media and getting all the players and various stakeholders together,” he said.
“Implementing the skills framework will be a challenge, but it is not insurmountable.”
Ms. Pacheco said that DTI is banking on existing engagement from the private sector, and is reaching out to the academe and other training providers to complete a comprehensive training ecosystem.
“That’s the next step, to put the right people there who will make the contributions so that Philippine industries will be more prepared,” she said, referring to having training providers get the workforce ready for rapid changes in industry.
The DTI plans to expand the upskilling program to 21 sectors or more following the initial six.
DTI will be holding its Leaping the Gap: Philippines 4.0 Skills Forum and Exhibition on Nov. 20-21 in Pasay City. — Jenina P. Ibañez
