Message at the launch of the ILO-TESDA Job readiness training

By Mr Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the ILO-TESDA Job readiness training, 23 November 2021, Manila, Philippines

Statement | Manila, Philippines | 23 November 2021
  • Secretary Isidro Lapena, Director General, TESDA
  • DDG Rosanna Urdaneta, Deputy Director General for Planning and Operations, TESDA
  • Mr Tim Hogan, Managing Director, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Responsibility for Asia Pacific, JP Morgan
  • Ms Akiko Sakamoto, Senior Skills Specialist, ILO Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific
  • Graduates of the TVET Trainers Programme
  • Distinguished partners and guests,
  • Ladies and gentlemen, magandang umaga sa inyong lahat (good morning to all of you).
It is my honour to be with you this morning to witness the Job Readiness graduation of the TESDA trainers and the launch of the Job Readiness course as part of the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Online Programme.

The pandemic has opened a new chapter in how learners and jobseekers prepare for jobs. With the introduction of online platforms such as Zoom, workers have had to adjust the way they work. This shift to online work skills prompted the creation of the online Job Readiness course to facilitate access of our learners to these jobs.

We are grateful for our strong partnership with TESDA, in promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) and promoting Job Readiness online. Through our work with the innovative TESDA team on Job Readiness skills, we have developed this online course to help learners and jobseekers become job-ready. TESDA trainers will now also be able to deliver these trainings online to their students.

With funding support from J.P. Morgan, the Women in STEM Project partnered with TESDA. This strong partnership has been successful in providing critical soft skills training to women in STEM-related occupations. Now we are expanding to the online platform to reach more women, and men, during these challenging times.

With pandemic restrictions disrupting education, training and employment, the transition from training to work has become tougher for our workers. The continuous need to provide workers with the support to facilitate access to training and entry to employment, becomes even more critically important.

The Decent Work Country Programme highlights the importance of responsive technical and vocational training programs to provide learners with the right tools that will enable workers to be resilient in the face of the rapidly changing demands of the future of work.

Together with TESDA, we are working closely with government agencies, employer associations and trade unions on the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS), which is anchored on the ILO’s four areas for policy action to stimulate the economy and employment, support enterprises, jobs and incomes, protect workers in the workplace, and rely on social dialogue to find solutions.

We urge you to join us on our Global Call to Action to ensure a human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. It is by working together that we can help each other and build a better future of work.

Maraming salamat po!