NIAC launched to address youth unemployment

MANILA, Philippines - Education reform advocates from the private sector launched last Tuesday the National Industry-Academe Council (NIAC) to address youth unemployment in the country.

The NIAC is chaired by Ramon del Rosario Jr, chairman of the Makati Business Club and Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, president of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Facilitated by the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), the NIAC aims to create a short- to medium-term agenda centered on addressing the skills and jobs mismatch in the Philippines, PBEd president Chito Salazar said.

 NIAC officials believe a strong collaboration between the two sectors, particularly on practical training, would help in developing the workers needed by the industries. 

The NIAC’s projects will be supported by the United States Agency for International Development mission in the Philippines, according to Salazar.

 “Its goal is to get as many of the right people into the right careers,” he said.

 As of April this year, there are around 1.46 unemployed youth (15 to 24 years old) in the Philippines, Salazar said.

 Salazar said a 2011 World Bank Study showed that the skills gap presents a serious bottleneck for innovation and productivity among Filipino companies.

 The NIAC also expressed its support for the nationwide implementation of the K to 12 program in 2016.

 Salazar said the K to 12 program, which adds two years in high school, will help solve labor mismatch in the country.

 The K to 12 basic education system is meant to align the Philippines with the global 12-year basic education cycle.