President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stressed the need to upskill the workforce as part of the country’s goal to transform the economy, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
The upgrading of Filipino workers’ skills is part of the agenda of the ninth Cabinet meeting presided over by the President at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday morning.
In a Palace briefing, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the Department of Labor and Employment, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Commission on Higher Education presented to Marcos several reforms that would strengthen human capital development.
Angeles said the three agencies discussed upgrading the skills of the workforce as part of the President’s economic transformation program.
During the recent New York Stock Exchange Economic Forum held in New York City, Marcos stressed the need to focus on honing students’ skills to make them ready.
He made the statement while acknowledging that Filipino workers are the country’s “best assets.”
Marcos, during his meeting with members of Asia Society on 23 September, said the Philippine economy will go beyond its pre-pandemic growth, given that the country is a “viable and smart” investment destination” and has a “very competent” workforce.
Angeles, who joined the President last week in New York, said Marcos has already directed the Department of Education to equip learners with proper skills that would turn them into “productive members of the society.”
The Philippine economy expanded by 5.7 percent in 2021 and 7.8 percent in the first half of 2022 because of government spending, household consumption, and investments reinforced by consumer and business confidence.