Philippines works with ASEAN countries to improve TVET

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is now working with other neighboring countries in Southeast Asia in improving the country’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) director general Guiling Mamondiong said officials of the agency and the Department of Education (DepEd) are meeting with their counterparts from 11 countries in SEA to discuss policy directions to improve TVET.

The two-day meeting started yesterday with 180 participants composed of officials of the Ministries of Education, Labor and Training, Science and Technology, Higher Education, and other Ministries from 11 Southeast Asian countries and other development agencies, and partners outside the region.

Officials of Southeast Asian countries are expected to make policy recommendations and approve the regional initiatives to be endorsed by the SEAMEO High Officials Meeting in November and the SEAMEO Council Conference, which will be hosted by the Department of Education in 2019.

The meeting , he said, aims to focus on regional initiatives, and discuss the policies and TVET education components such as policy, curriculum and teaching strategies  that will accelerate the Southeast Asian countries to leverage their TVET education for the Industry 4.0 Revolution.

“The goals of the regional forum include discussions on the importance of TVET from 2017-2018, find ways and measures to improve regional cooperation for the region; and discuss plans of national and regional TVET initiatives to improve the response among member countries to the changes which will be brought by Industry 4.0 and eventually increase the quality of TVET,” Mamondiong said.

Three regionals were held previously to discuss e ASEAN integration, the hiring of skilled workers in the region, and the need to increase the quality of TVET in Southeast Asia.

In  2015, various national and regional initiatives in TVET have been created and co-developed among SEA countries and development agencies.

Mamondiong said the purpose of these TVET initiatives include the improvement of quality of TVET, promotion of partnerships among TVET institutions, strengthening the industry’s involvement and participation, improvement of the capacity of TVET personnel, and promotion of the mobility of skilled workers, teachers and students.

Various activities have also been organized at all levels of TVET personnel such as policy makers, TVET school/college leaders, researchers, teachers and students.