Eleven government education and sector agencies on June 25 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) launching the Philippine Skills Framework (PSF) initiative. The project aims to reskill and upscale the country’s workforce, with logistics and supply chain as the pilot industry.
A memorandum of agreement on the PSF for Supply Chain and Logistics (PSF-SCL) was signed virtually on the same day by four government agencies and 16 industry association groups.
The PSF is an inclusive innovation strategy that seeks to equip the country’s workforce with skills mastery and prepare them for the future economy, especially for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) or Industry 4.0, by providing industry-specific skills frameworks.
The initiative resulted from an MOU to cooperate in human capital development that was signed in 2019 by the Philippines and Singapore. The Philippines was represented by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), while Singapore was represented by SkillsFuture Singapore, an arm of Singapore’s Ministry of Education. The PSF initiative was produced by referencing the Singapore Skills Framework.
“The need to reskill and upskill our human capital and workforce remains a crucial part of our plans. This is essential so that our industries can increase and sustain their competitiveness under the 4IR and move us closer to our goal of becoming an industrialized nation,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a statement during the PSF launching.
TESDA director general Isidro Lapeña said the PSF “is developed by and for the industry” in the same way that TESDA’s training regulations are developed.
Under the MOU, the parties commit to coordinate and collaborate to develop the country’s human capital and workforce for the 4IR, and upgrade workers’ skills for the future economy.
Interagency efforts will involve the development of sector-specific skills frameworks that will provide guidance on how to enhance the skills of the country’s workers for particular job roles.
(For the full report, visit PORTCALLS)