Angara calls for change in
attitude towards Tech-Voc

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today said that in order to attract competent people to technical-vocational courses, the current low regard for vocational and technical jobs must be corrected.

"We need a strong technical-vocational program to ensure that even high school graduates will have employable skills," he said.

This is the underlying problem in our education system, says Angara. "While our student population has grown to more than 18 million students and is now bigger than most countries, there are still 12 million Filipinos who are out of the formal school system."

"That is a hidden problem in our educational system that government needs to address," said Angara, keynoting the general assembly of the Career Development Association of the Philippines (CDAP). "We need alternative means of learning to ensure that even those out of the formal school system will have opportunities for employment."

Angara cited the growing global demand for skilled workers: "These tech-voc courses are in demand not only in the Philippines but also in other countries such as Canada and Australia."

"The Canadian government is now recruiting welders, bartenders and waitresses from other countries. In Subic, they need about 3,000 welders as well as in Cebu. Next year, call centers in the country will be needing at least 200,000 call center agents," he added.

In five years, the agribusiness, cyber services, tourism including medical, health care services, the mining and aviation industries will generate more than 4 million jobs in the country. And yet, only 2.7 million are expected to graduate from these fields.

Angara is the author of several education reforms, including the law creating the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

"The global and Philippine labor markets have drastically changed over the years. An ordinary worker's expectations are very different from what another worker had five or ten years ago. Our notions about tech-voc must change. We must encourage more young people to go into careers in technical-vocational fields and chart their future in the growingly dynamic technological force," he said.