The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is urging more companies to share insights on emerging jobs with the government as it expressed high hopes for the quick passage of the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) bill.

"We do need to make sure that we maximize our workforce’s fourth industrial revolution transition to higher skills and higher value work in target growth sectors," TESDA director general Francisco Benitez said in the recent second stakeholders forum on Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development (AMDev) at Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City.

The forum was attended by members of the Makati Business Club.

Benitez said industries can help TESDA design technical-vocational education and training (TVET) programs to match workers' skills.

He made this call after the EBET bill last month was passed on third and final reading at the Senate to streamline processes on worker training programs offered by private firms and allow them to deduct up to 75 percent of their training costs from their taxable incomes.

EBET graduates able to secure jobs

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies found that more EBET graduates are able to secure jobs than those who underwent training programs offered by institutions or community-centric groups.

"Data shows we’re only producing 3, 4 percent EBET graduates over the past years, despite the employment rate in TVET outputs ranging from 87-92 percent. We aim to significantly increase the share of EBET trainees within total TVET outputs," Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development chairman Joel Villanueva said.

Meanwhile, AMDev is a joint initiative by the United States Agency for International Development and Unilab Foundation that focuses on upskilling the Filipino manufacturing workforce.

AMDev, TESDA and several industry experts have developed 10 Level III Competency Standards and Competency-Based Curricula for production operators and maintenance technicians in the manufacturing sector.