THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched an initiative that will help Philippine higher education become more globally competitive.
On February 20, the five-year, P1.6-billion ($30 million) US-Philippines Partnership for Skills, Innovation, and Lifelong Learning (UPSKILL) program will boost innovation, labor force development, and entrepreneurship in colleges and universities.
US president Joseph Biden and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. jointly announced the initiative during the latter’s visit to the White House in May 2023.
UPSKILL will gather US universities, Philippine government agencies engaged in human capital development, and private-sector partners to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education institutions through faculty and staff training, curriculum improvements, while increasing community outreach and technology transfer.
These efforts will improve qualifications and career prospects of Filipino higher education graduates to continuously meet evolving labor force needs, while enhancing linkages between US and Philippine universities.
The program is implemented by RTI International through a consortium of US universities, which includes Arizona State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, with Philippine partners such as Edukasyon.ph and the Philippine Business for Education.
“The challenges and opportunities that young people face today in the work place make college training and education critical for their future success,” USAID’s deputy assistant administrator for East Asia and the Pacific Sara Borodin said during UPSKILL’s launch at the University of Santo Tomas. “Through this new program, the US government reaffirms its commitment to working with our Filipino partners in transforming the higher education sector.”
Officials from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Second Congressional Education Commission, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic and Development Authority, and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, as well as representatives from several Philippine universities, attended the program launch.
“With this partnership with USAID, the Commission on Higher Education will provide unique opportunities for our colleges and universities to continuously innovate, in response to the aspirations of the Philippines, and specifically that of our students,” said Executive Director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro of CHED. “Together, we will demonstrate the compelling value of internationally recognized training, cooperative research, and lifelong learning modalities being offered by Philippine higher education.”