Play active workforce development roles, private sector urged
Reaping economic dividends from a young workforce s not automatic – it entails investments in education and training of the youth in order for us to maximize this opportunity
Daily TribuneReaping economic dividends from a young workforce s not automatic – it entails investments in education and training of the youth in order for us to maximize this opportunity
To mark Labor Day, the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) on Wednesday urged the private sector and local stakeholders to take active roles in workforce development by providing skills training to the youth.
“The Philippines is at a demographic transition favorable for economic growth. However, reaping the economic dividends of a young workforce from this period is not automatic — it entails investments in education and training of the youth in order for us to maximize this opportunity,” said PBEd executive director Justine Raagas.
PBEd saw in its implementation of various workforce development programs for the youth that collaborative efforts among the government, industry, and academe are the key to forging a seamless school-to-work transition for youth.
"Currently, our graduates find it hard to land jobs, and despite this growing pool of jobseekers, industries are not able to fill the vacancies because of the skills gap and shortage. We need to create linkages to fill these gaps. There must be greater government-industry-academe collaboration to provide clear pathways and increase awareness on work options for youth, especially out-of-school youth,” Raagas said.
Youthworks Ph program
To encourage private sector involvement in youth training and employment, PBEd is implementing the YouthWorks PH program in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development.
Since 2018, the program has already provided over 16,000 work-based training opportunities to unemployed, out-of-school youth. Over 1,800 youths have since graduated from the program, where 76 percent have been absorbed right after training.
“We can only sustain these gains through the combined efforts of all sectors. This is also where local governments play a crucial role in youth and workforce development. We count on them to help us reach more youth and provide them the wraparound support they need to complete training, such as transportation and necessary learning facilities and resources,” Raagas said.
To further scale these initiatives, PBEd backs Senate Bill 2587 or the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act, which aims to bridge the gap between the rapidly evolving needs of industries and the requisite skills of employees.
