PCCI members to help make K-12 successful

Concerned about the human resource of the country, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is bracing to engage its 118 local chambers, more than 100 industry associations and 35,000 members to help the government in making the K-12 curriculum program successful.

This was highlighted in the workshop of local chamber leaders organized and hosted by the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) held in Makati on Jan. 16-17.

PCCI president Alegria Limjoco emphasized that the local chambers need to be more relevant for the respective communities and be in the service of its members, mostly small and medium enterprises.

“The business enterprises are the best partner of the academe in making education and the graduates relevant to the needs and emerging needs of the times,” Limjoco said.

She expressed optimism that the K-12 will work by making its graduates prepared with the competencies needed in the world of work. Limjoco hopes that immersion component of the K-12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd) will suffice for the learning needs of the students toward competencies that industries and business actually need.

PCCI Human Resource Development Foundation (PCCI HRDF) president Alberto Fenix Jr. for his part expressed the need for the Associations, Chambers, Enterprises and Schools (ACES) to collaborate to make sure that the gap between the supply and the demand is reduced.

“The PCCI is looking seriously into human resource because this is the most important resource in any business and we acknowledge that the productivity of the businesses rest upon the productivity of its people,” Fenix said.

He cited PCCI partnership with the government’s educational agencies like TESDA, DepEd and CHED to ensure collaborative relationships toward human resource development.

\The GPCCI has worked closely with the PCCI for the enrichment of the Philippine K-12 program and supported the K-12 Plus Project along with GIZ, sequa, SBFIC and AFOS which are all German development entities.

“We are happy to share the German experience in education, specifically the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET),” Peter Kompalla, executive director of GPCCI said.

The GPCCI has supported a metalworking TVET-strand in a school in San Pedro Laguna that has led to the employment of the trainees upon their graduation from Senior High School. “This is a good model which can teach us a lot of lessons for the K-12 success,” said Jana FrankeEverett, dual training project director of GPCCI.