15 May 2015
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) pledged support to ongoing initiatives among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies toward human capacity building as a key to creating opportunities for the youth.
TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva hailed the adoption of the Joint Statement on the 2015 High Level Policy Dialogue on Human Capacity Building (HCB), following the conclusion of the meeting of the APEC representatives in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea last week.
The two-day meeting was hosted by the Philippines and the government of Papua New Guinea.
The policy dialogue on HCB was part of the country's hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015, which focuses on the theme "Building inclusive economies, building a better world."
Villanueva said the policies laid out in the Joint Statement could serve as a blueprint for TESDA in implementing its mandate of skills development of the Filipino youth.
"We see it as our sacred responsibility to arm the youth with skills that would place them on an equal footing with young people from other economies," he said.
"With the APEC leaders putting premium on human capital development, we can be assured of an all-hands-on-deck effort by the government, business, civil society and others toward this goal," Villanueva added.
The Joint Statement addressed the following issues: Developing the 21st century workforce: key to inclusive and sustainable growth; Aligning education and training to industry needs in the 21st century: strategic approaches; and Enhancing skills of Small Medium Enterprises (SME) workers: critical to competitiveness and linking to global value chains.
The meeting was chaired by Department of Education Undersecretary Mario Deriquito and attended by three ministers from Papua New Guinea: Charles Abel MP, Minister for Planning and Monitoring; Benjamin Popomawa MP, Minister for Labor and Industrial Relations; and Malaki Tabar MP, Minister for Higher Education, Research and Science.
Participants also included members of the academe and Doris Magsaysay Ho, the current chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council, representing the private sector.
The outcomes of the meeting will support the work of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group who will convene on May 14 to 17 in Boracay Island.
The Joint Statement can be viewed at: http://www.apec.org/Meeting-Papers/Ministerial-Statements/High-Level-Policy-Dialogue/2015_HCB.aspx
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