PH prepares market-driven upskilling for labor force

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Expecting a surge in foreign investments, the current administration is working to ensure that it would offer market-driven and demand-driven upskilling trainings to Filipino employees.

Philippine Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said in an interview on the government-run RTVM network that the government is identifying which skills are needed to make Filipino workers competitive.

“Upskilling or upgrading of skills is related to jobs mismatch. So, now we are studying what skills industries require to help us understand how to design training programs for workers,” Laguesma said.

“[Training programs] should be industry-led and market-driven. We should not just keep on training people only to find out they could not find jobs,” he added.

Laguesma explained that the government is preparing a labor market information system that would help compare jobs available in each of the country’s regions.

The labor secretary said that this would also enable the government to duly assist investors as to where the best location for their operations would be.