SENATE Majority Leader Joel Villanueva recently encouraged employers and firms to invest in technical-vocational (tech-voc) graduates who are “among the best in the world, and can get every job done.”
As the country celebrated National Tech-Voc Day institutionalized through Republic Act 10970 that he authored, Villanueva pointed out that tech-voc alumni hold vast potential in contributing to the country’s way out of the pandemic.
He said for every person hired, a family is given the opportunity to rise out of poverty and prosper.
“The country is faced with the challenge of finding employment for its population, as businesses are still finding their footing after the pandemic-induced economic slump,” he said, adding that the country has a good number of people in the work force, which includes seniors and retirees who can help the country’s economy get back on track.
“[Work-wise], ability over age should matter,” he said. “We should exert…[efforts to hone or teach new skills to our elderly, making] them employable anew.”
As its former director general, Villanueva urged the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, or Tesda, to continuously involve the private sector in providing skills training to boost the graduates’ chances of getting hired.
He said there is a need to strengthen private-sector participation in tech-voc education and training via enterprise-based upskilling not only to resolve job-skills mismatches, but also ensure enough supply of relevant skills that industries require.
Philippine Statistics Authority data showed that the rate of jobless Filipinos in June 2022 reached 6 percent, or 2.99 million.
While millions are on the lookout for jobs, the Commission on Population and Development, or POPCOM, said the country needs at least 6 million effective workers to address consumers’ needs.
Image credits: PNA