DTI leads launching of national skills upgrading initiative
MANILA– The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched the Philippine Skills Framework (PSF) Initiative, an inter-agency effort to build the skills and competencies of the country’s human capital and workforce to better prepare them for the future economy.
Secretary Ramon Lopez noted that the program will continue efforts to grow and develop competitive and innovative Filipino enterprises, as the need to reskill and upgrade the skills of our human capital and workforce remains a crucial part of their plans. “This is essential, so that our industries can increase and sustain their competitiveness under the Fourth Industrial Revolution (or 4IR) and move us closer to our goal of becoming an industrialized nation. Through this goal, we aim to have our people achieve better employment opportunities that will provide them with a higher income.”
The PSF Initiative involves the development of sector-specific skills frameworks that will guide the country’s workers in enhancing their skills for particular job roles. These will also help employers design progressive human resource management and talent development plans and assist education and training institutions in revising existing curricula or designing new courses that are more relevant and responsive to current industry needs and emerging market demands.
Secretary Lopez also stressed that, “What is unique with skills framework is that these equip an individual worker to make an informed decision about his/ her career choices as well as take responsibility for his/ her own skills development. And because these are industry-informed and validated, the match between jobs and skills is assured.”
The PSF Initiative was launched through a Memorandum of Understanding among DTI, TESDA. DOLE, DepEd, CHED, PRC, DA, DICT, DOST, and DOT. The following are the Initiative’s priority sectors: construction, creatives, food (agriculture and fishery); health and wellness; IT-BPM; logistics and supply chain; manufacturing; and tourism.
The PSF Initiative is a result of the MOU between DTI, TESDA, and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) that was signed in September 2019, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between the Ph i l i p p i n es and Singapore.
Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba, who signed the 2019 MOU, highlighted that, “In DTI, we view Industry 4.0 technologies as drivers of industrial transformation. Through the PSF Initiative, we would be able to provide chance to everyone to
participate in good-quality, meaningful work. Our aspiration is to continue to build on the PSF to ensure it remains agile, adapts to broader disruptions and changing trends in the jobs and skills landscape, and use it to unlock a reskilling revolution in the country.”
In launching the PSF Initiative, Secretary Lopez emphasized that skills training and development is investment in human capital. “By reskilling and upskilling them, we are building a future-ready Filipino workforce. As we address the future of work today, we are also building today, the future of our nation. We envision this future in which our people will not have to leave their families behind to go abroad in search for better employment opportunities, and they will proudly and passionately do their work in our country for better income appropriate to their skills.”