Chambers help address jobs-skills mismatch

THE foreign chambers of commerce in the country here have forged an agreement with the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (Pacu) that formalizes their partnership in helping address the jobs-skills mismatch in the country.

The American, Australian-New Zealand, British, Canadian and European chambers of commerce, under the memorandum of understanding they signed with Pacu on Thursday, will provide employment and internship opportunities to college students nationwide.

Pacu is the umbrella organization of 180 leading educational institutions in the country.

Initially, the chambers will provide priority access to deserving and qualified college students in its October Foreign Chambers Employment Expo.

Leslie Stokes, British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines executive director, said the partnership with Pacu speeds the process of eliminating the jobs-skills mismatch in the country.

“The partnership opens a lot of possibilities for the chambers and provides companies which we represent with a direct channel to the best available talent pool that can fit their respective operational needs,” Stokes said.

Peter Laurel, newly elected Pacu president, said they would send pre-screened students to the October employment expo.

“Pacu will ensure that the most qualified graduating and third year college students nationwide will be coming to the employment expo to apply for internship programs and job vacancies among the participating companies. We are very much excited in the employment and internship programs available to our students and the academic linkages the agreement represents,” he said.

The next staging of the employment expo will be participated in by at least 40 companies in agribusiness, business-process outsourcing, creative, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and tourism industries.

The five chambers is expected to offer at least 3,000 jobs ranging from technical to executive positions and at least 500 internship slots during the employment expo.

“We have always wanted to address the jobs-skills mismatch in the country. Partnering with Pacu is a big step towards attaining that goal,” Stokes said. –Max V. de Leon / Reporter, Businessmirror