Following the success of the SkillsUpNet Philippines (SUN PH) Phase 1, the Philippines will continue to receive grants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the same program that aims to advance the skills of Filipino workforce.
On Tuesday, ADB Country Directory Pavit Ramachandran, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Jose Francisco Benitez signed at the ADB headquarters a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the implementation of the SUN PH 2.
Under the MOA, the ADB provides grants for training and equipping Filipino workers in key strategic sectors in priority regions.
In the first phase of the program, which was implemented from June 2021 to December 2023, SUN PH has provided P15.4 million in grants to five employer networks and trained 671 workers, of which nearly half were women.
SUN PH 2 eyes larger number of trainees, benefitting 858 workers, 604 of which are female.
These trainings will be in key sectors of creative industry, particularly animation; agri-based training, specifically, coffee and bamboo; renewable energy, including electric vehicle, automated meter reading, and solar energy; logistics and supply chain; information technology and business process management (ITBPM); construction, focusing on engineering services and built environment; and tourism.
Trainings for these sectors will be given based on priority regions.
For the creative industry, the trainings will be given to the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon, and Central Visayas.
For coffee and bamboo trainings, beneficiaries will be coming from NCR, Ilocos Region, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.
Trainings in renewable energy will be for NCR, Calabarzon and Central Visayas.
Beneficiaries for logistics and supply chains trainings will be from NCR, Ilocos Region, Western Visayas and Davao Region.
The program will conduct ITBPM trainings for the talent pool in Metro Manila, Western and Central Visayas, and Soccsksargen.
For construction trainings, beneficiaries will come from NCR, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas, while trainings for tourism sector will be focused in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Davao Region.
“Every time I talk to foreign investors, they always ask, they always tell me, ‘we need talent’. So, this program is really something that we need today,” Roque said.
“SUN PH 2 will make an even greater impact. With new training courses, expanded reach, we are confident that this program will equip Filipino workers with skills they need to excel in the years to come."
ADB PHOTO
