The Philippines and Germany on Tuesday signed the renewal of “Cooperation Program” between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training that is aimed at upskilling and reskilling of Filipino workers.
In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the Philippines and Germany both recognized the important contribution of Filipino healthcare workers and other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the culture and economy of Germany.
“Noting Germany’s interest in expanded labor cooperation to include other Filipino skilled workers and professionals, the Philippines reaffirms our commitment to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of Filipinos around the world,” President Marcos said.
“Towards this end, our countries will sign the renewal of the Cooperation Programme between Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training during my visit here in Germany. Both sides are also working towards the conclusion of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Placement of Skilled Workers and other Professionals,” he added.
Following the signing for renewal of “Cooperation Program” between the two educational and training entities, TESDA and Germany’s Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) will carry out several measures for capacity building.
Among the capacity building measures include conducting thematic visits per year, with both entities providing workplace and technical facilities free of charge.
Other measures include exchange on policy research and knowledge management, support evaluation for apprenticeship and dual training systems programs, and support evaluation and improvement of the Study on the Employment of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Graduates (SETG).
Aside from capacity building, there will be exchanges under Philippine Regional Innovation Centres (RIC) and German Center of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) with the aim of demonstrating how digital learning are embedded in the newly founded 17 RIC and CoVE.
There will also be joint work within the BILT Initiative of the UNESCO-UNEVOC, with the BILT Initiative aiming to implement long-term bridging in VET through exchange of experience and peer learning with defined regional networks between Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The BIBB and the International Center for Vocational Education and Training UNESCO-UNEVOC will jointly coordinate the BILT initiative: Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET. BILT is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research BMBF.
The BILT initiative provides TVET stakeholders with a platform for policy learning and peer learning with BILT supporting the TVET community to address current challenges in TVET systems, which arise due to technological, social, environmental, and workplace changes.
Several activities will be carried out from 2023 to 2025 such as bridging, innovation, and learning activities.
Joint International Roadshow digital media in TVET will also be done to systematize example of good practice to structure international discourse and the use of digital applications.
At the same time, President Marcos announced that the Philippines and Germany are also working on the conclusion of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Placement of Skilled Workers and other Professionals.
“We will continue to work on other agreements across various areas of cooperation, and look forward to their conclusion in the near future,” he said.
Germany serves as a second home to around 35,930 Filipinos. Of the figure, 82.36 percent have permanent or temporary residence status. PND
