News Release (Draft) Department of Labor and Employment 28 August 2013

PH inputs to ASEAN qualifications framework, government to mainstream PQF with industry partners

Taking another forward step on President Benigno S. Aquino IIIs 22 -point labor and employment agenda, whose overarching goal is to invest in the country's human resource to make them more competitive and employable, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday Professional Regulations Commission for vowing more intensive action on jobs and skills mismatching in a multi-sector consultation held this 29 August at the Philippine Trade Training Center, Pasay City.

The consultation, dubbed as the Sectoral Approach on Education Services Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF), aims to prepare Filipino professionals, workers learners and industries for the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community by having a deeper understanding on the concept, principles, processes of PQF and ARQF, and their relationship towards recognition of qualifications within ASEAN regions.

The government is steadfast in conducting roundtable discussions and consu ltations on policy inconsistencies and administrative inefficiencies that hinder job creation. These initiatives are on top of the continuing activities related to the four convergent programs on job-skills mismatch undertaken by the Human Development and Poverty Reduction (HDPR) cluster of the Cabinet, Baldoz said.

All these are aimed at improving employment generation in ICT/BPO; semi -conductor and electronics; infrastructure; tourism; and agriculture and fisheries sectors which are identified as among the top ten priority sectors in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, she added.

The ARQF is a common referencing framework that shall serve as translation device in interpreting the national qualifications frameworks of the countries in the ASEAN region. It has the ultimate goal of promoting competitiveness among professionals, workers, and learners in the domestic and global market. It emphasizes on quality assurance in education, skills, trainings and specializations to gain the mutual trust and confidence of the industry sector.

On the other hand, the PQF is a unified, seamless, and borderless education and training system that weaves together basic education, technical-vocational education, and higher education into one coherent, quality-assured instrument for classifying qualifications according to a set of criteria for levels of learning outcomes.

It has for its purpose the following: (a) to establish national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training, skills and competencies; (b) to promote quality by ensuring standards are met by education and training providers or authorities who issue qualifications; (c) to facilitate comparison among levels and contents of qualifications; and (d) to promote access to learning and transfers to higher levels of education and training by clarifying the entry points to qualifications.

As designed in the framework, any high school graduate, especially those who cannot afford to enrol in a bachelors degree program, may now enrol in any certificate program offered principally in technical vocational institutions (TVIs), Baldoz said.

This strategy would enable students to immediately qualify for a job that pays well and provides opportunities for continuous skills and enhancement, she added.

The activity is brought by the Philippine Task Force on AQRF which consists of the following government agencies: DOLE; PRC; Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Department of Education (DepEd); and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Representatives from the labor sector, industries, training providers, academe, and professionals are also expected to attend the consultation.

The whole-day activity was divided in two parts. The first part includes plenary sessions on such topics as the ASEAN Economic Community; the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area; and the PQF.

As for the second part, participants will be oriented with the AQRF to which learning shall be applied in a workshop later in the afternoon. The workshop clusters, with the following industry leaders as facilitators, are: (1) Engineering Cluster with Dr. Reynaldo Vea, President and CEO of MAPUA Institute of Technology; (2) Technology Cluster, with Ruperto Sangalang, CHED Commissioner, and Yolanda Reyes, PRC Board of Architecture Member; (3) Health and Allied Cluster, with Dean Elizabeth Roxas, Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing President, Dr. Jose Cueto, Jr.,

PRC Board of Medicine Member, and Dr. Melinda Garcia, PRC Board of Industry Member; and (4) Business and Education Cluster with Dr. Oscar Torralba, Technical Panel for CHED Business and Management Education Chair, and Dr. Rosita Navarro, PRC Board of Professional Teachers Member.

The plans are all laid out; and the government will remain committed to the full implementation of these plans until the goals are met, Baldoz said, even as she revealed that the focus of labor administration for the rest of 2013 is on strengthening convergence between the government and tripartite partners for the attainment of inclusive economic growth and sustainable development.

END/hjtg