THE Asean Technical Vocational Education and Training Council (ATC) was officially launched on September 21 during the high-level Human Resource Development (HRD) Conference hosted by Vietnam five days prior.
The Philippines, through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), is the inaugural chair of the ATC from 2020 to 2022.
The ceremony was held virtually and streamed live through online platforms. Delegates from Asean member-states, relevant United Nations agencies and external partners attended the event.
In his opening remarks, Tesda Secretary Isidro S. Lapeña thanked the bloc’s member-states and the Asean Secretariat for their support in establishing the ATC during the 36th Summit in June 2020.
Lapeña recalled that the initiative stemmed from the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which just started to gain traction in 2017. The uncertainties of the digital and technological transformation made the Philippines realize the need for a unified approach among the key players in skills development from both the supply and demand sides. Asean-Philippines Director-General Junever M. Mahilum-West of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Asean Affairs represented Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones as the Asean Education Ministers’ Meeting (ASED) chair. Mahilum-West delivered the statement for the adoption of the Roadmap of the Asean Declaration on HRD for the Changing World of Work.
Said road map will serve as the region’s guide in operationalizing the Asean Declaration on HRD for the Changing World of Work. The Philippines, as the ASED chair, commits its full support towards the implementation of the road map and the development of future-ready, competitive, and resilient Asean human resources.
The director-general also participated in the panel discussion on “Educational and Training Systems that Promote 21st Century Skills.” She emphasized the importance of partnerships in operationalizing the HRD Roadmap: “Asean sectoral bodies and stakeholders should strengthen their cooperation through information sharing, exchanges of experiences and best practices, joint learning, capacity building, and conduct of regular multi-stakeholders’ meetings to monitor the progress of the region’s initiatives.”
The ATC seeks to provide a platform for coordination, research and development on innovations, and monitoring of programs for technical vocational education and training advancement in the region. It was proposed by the Philippines as Asean chair in 2017.
The country, through Tesda, will host the first meeting of the ATC in 2021. The video presentation of its inaugural chairmanship may be accessed through https://youtu.be/FqVLHtKueZM.
Image credits: DFA