Former Vice President Jejomar Binay has proposed the creation of a National Skills Education Council (NSEC) to address unemployment by matching the skills of workers with the needs of industries and employers.
“This is to address the problem of unemployment and underemployment, especially in this time of pandemic,” said Binay in a statement.
The Philippine Statistics Authority pegged the country’s unemployment rate at 6.6 percent in December 2021. This translates to 3.27 million Filipinos without work.
The country’s underemployment rate, meanwhile, stood at 14.7 percent during the same period.
Binay, who is running for senator under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) where he serves as party chairman, also noted that more Filipinos have been actively looking for work, which he partly attributed to jobs-skills mismatches.
“Schools and training agencies should be aware of the specific skills and knowledge that employers and industries need. This can be done through skills training partnerships patterned after the programs of the University of Makati,” he said.
Binay said the proposed council will be composed of government, private sector, and labor representatives. The council will coordinate and advise schools of the necessary skills needed by employers and industries.
The former vice president said the proposed Council will include the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Also, part of the council are representatives from major business and industry organizations and labor groups.
The NSEC, Binay said, will coordinate and assist in the development of course curricula to fit the needs of industries, as well as projecting job trends to address the jobs-skills mismatch.
“Advising schools about upcoming job trends and equipping the students with the necessary skills should reduce jobs-skills mismatches, as well as reduce the number of those with part time work,” he added.