THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is currently working with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in increasing employment, specifically youth employability, said Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma on Wednesday, during the 2023 Post Sona Discussions.
This is in response to Marcos’ second Sona, where he reported that the employment rate as of May this year rose to 95.7 percent.
In September 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 5, transferring Tesda’s authority to DOLE “for policy and program coordination.”
On the merging of DOLE and Tesda, Laguesma said, “Isang mahalagang hakbang sapagkat nariyan po iyong linkage ng training sa employment, hindi po puwedeng maghiwalay [That is a vital step because there lies the linkage of training and employment, they are inseparable].” Their plan is aligned with the 8-point socioeconomic agenda of the President and the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028.
The DOLE secretary also said that their plan is based on the help of social partners such as labor representatives and employee-representatives in the Labor and Employment Plan.
In here are embodied the programs that will push for youth employability, and those that promote industrial peace, said Laguesma.
Aside from the youth, DOLE also wanted employability among women, the elderly, among others.
Tesda’s part
According to Deputy Director General for Policies and Planning Rosanna A. Urdaneta, the President asked Tesda for two things: to “harmonize” the TVL track, and to make sure many Filipinos are “skilled, reskilled, and upskilled.”
Their goal is to have around 300,000 Tesda enrollees and graduates, in order to promote employability.
As of now, they are trying to operate a Tesda online program with 150 programs, which is targeted to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).
“We want to really engage the industry in the business of training and development,” said Urdaneta.
