German-aided project’s Phase 2 launch set

TO promote dual training and address skills mismatch in the country, the second phase of the K to 12 PLUS project will be launched on December 8 at the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( PCCI) office in McKinley Hill, Taguig City ( Metro Manila).

The K to 12 PLUS Project is a multi- stakeholder initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development ( BMZ) to assist the ongoing Education and Training Reform in the Philippines, with particular focus on piloting innovative dualized approaches to technical and vocational education and training.

The overall objective, according to a statement, is to increase the employability and income of Filipino youth and their families and to match the needs of companies for mid- to high- level qualified employees.

During the first phase of the project, which started on October 1, 2013 and ended on September 30, 2016, dual training was piloted in Senior High Schools in five identified priority sectors-- Hospitality/ Tourism, Construction, Food Processing, Machining and Micro- Finance.

Dual training means the involvement of a school or training center where the knowledge and theoretical parts of a qualification are taught, and an enterprise where the hands- on and practical parts of a qualification can be learned in the workplace.

The firms that take part in the program collaborate closely with technical vocational institutions ( TVIs) and Senior High Schools so that the curricula are much more closely aligned with the expectations of the industry.

As these expectations evolve with changing and improving technology and the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean), the importance of communicating these industry wants and needs to both the schools and the student/ trainees becomes paramount.

Without these things being aligned, more students run the risk of being alienated as part of the workforce.

The two sides-- the TVIs and the industry partners-- jointly design and craft the curricula for students.

Even while the students deal with studies in the classroom, they are already given content that will much better prepare them for their entrance into actual work.

During the second phase of the project, these pilot dual training programs will be documented and made available for replication by business chambers, industry associations and enterprises in other parts of the country.

Another focus will be to examine how the already ongoing implementation can be anchored in respective laws and needed policy dialogues to sustain them after the project ends.

Project partners in the Philippines include the PCCI, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mindanao Microfinance Council, German- Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as other public and private organizations and enterprises.

Cooperation partners include the Department of Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

German project partners are AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation ( founded by the members of the Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs - BKU), DEG - Deutsche Investitionsund Entwicklungsgesellschaft ( member of KfW Group), Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag - DIHK ( Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ( German International Cooperation - GIZ), Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation ( Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation - SBFIC) and Zentralverband des deutschen Handwerks ( ZDH - German Confederation of Skilled Crafts).

The second phase of the project was implemented on October 1, 2016 and will be completed on September 30, 2019.