MANILA – Over 58,000 Filipinos, including members of vulnerable sectors, have acquired more skills that will help them find jobs from a program funded by the United Kingdom (UK), the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, Khalid Hassan, director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines, said the beneficiaries of the Skills for Prosperity Programme in the Philippines (SfP-Philippines) learned knowledge that will help to earn a living.
Those who benefited from the program are youth, women, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities.
The program, which has improved the equity, quality, and relevance in the Philippines' technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills systems, has directly benefited over 7,000 people and indirectly supported over 51,000 individuals -- the most of whom were women.
"We need to ensure that national TVET and skills systems are inclusive and responsive to industry needs. We need to equip workers with the right skills set so they can enjoy better job prospects," Hassan said.
Under the program, workers received additional training in their specific areas of expertise, enabling them to search for better-paying jobs, locally or internationally.
A carpenter, mason, or plumber, for example, would receive hands-on training that can set them on the road to becoming master carpenters, master masons, master plumbers or even entrepreneurs offering construction services.
British Ambassador to Manila Laure Beaufils, meanwhile, said London contributed significantly to the development of TVET as a pathway for skills development and life-long learning in the Philippines through the SfP.
“From 2022, the program collaborated with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to enable improved capacity of teachers and educators to design learner-centered training in compliance with international standards - benefiting over 1,500 community trainers and employment coordinators for social inclusion in TVET," she said.
The program has been funded by the British government since 2019.
Meanwhile, the ILO invited the public to visit the program's culminating exhibit, “Pathways to Decent Work", which showcases the progress in upskilling manual labor toward inclusion and sustainability.
The exhibit runs from Oct. 2 to 6 at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (PNA)
