The trade department has tapped academe in securing the needed manpower to run the automotive manufacturing industry that is seen growing under the government’s reform programs.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Investments (BOI) are partnering with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) in a project that seeks to link higher education institutions with vehicle manufacturers, and ensure that there is sufficient human resource available to the fledgling automotive industry to further its development.
BOI Executive Director Corazon H. Dichosa said the Auto-Academe Congress intends to promote job opportunities in the automotive manufacturing industry to students. She added that the government, with the help of academe, hopes to entice young workers to consider careers with car makers.
“The project is among the collaboration projects between the Philippines and Japan in promoting the domestic automotive industry and deepen its involvement in the regional and global value chains. It focuses on the human-resource development, local suppliers development and investment promotion,” Dichosa said.
“The upcoming congress will allow for greater collaboration between the government and academe. As schools improve [their] curricula, it will also allow students to consider the job opportunities offered by the automotive industry,” she added.
The BOI finds the Auto-Academe Congress on August 28 “timely,” as the government expects increasing employment opportunities in the automotive industry with the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program in full swing and the imminent modernization of public-utility vehicles.
The DTI-BOI-Jica project will expose students to jobs they can possibly apply for in the industry. It will also allow higher education institutions to forge stronger ties with vehicle manufacturers in the improvement of their curricula and the development of their technological entrepreneurship and collaborative applied research activities.