Skills shortfall deterring investment — NEDA

by Danica M. Uy, Mar 25, 2017, Businessworld

POTENTIAL Japanese investors have noted a skills shortfall in the Filipino workforce which makes them hesitant to pursue projects in the country, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

“We have been discussing with Japan with regard to the possibility of Japan expanding business activities here in the Philippines. There’s a mismatch, a clear mismatch between the nature of business production that the Japanese companies would like to come here with in regard to the basic skills,” said NEDA Public Investment Staff (PIS) Director Jonathan L. Uy during a forum in Ortigas district yesterday.

According to the director, a lot still has to be done to “close the educational gap,” especially in the technical and vocational application of skills.

The Philippines needs “more productive” young Filipinos and a better-equipped workforce to attract investors.

“But there are capability constraints,” he said.

One concern that must be addressed by the government, he pointed out, is the full implementation of the K-12 Basic Education Program of the Philippines initiated by the Aquino administration.

NEDA, he said, would like to tap Japan for advice on how to improve the K-12 program.

“And we’d like to engage Japan in discussion with regards to trade mission as to how we can further our K-12 program,” said Mr. Uy.

He added that the government has not been building enough schools and the facilities needed to support the program.

“I want to focus on education because this is where relative effort is still not much done by the government in terms of specifying interventions relative to infrastructure,” said Mr. Uy.

According to Mr. Uy, the advancement of technology and distance learning would be a primary concern of the government in order to extend its educational coverage to reach all Filipino children.

Another area of concern is the capacity of the country’s teachers to successfully instill knowledge in the youth and “whether they have been adapted towards K-12.”

“The main concern at this point is really to focus as early as possible in terms of improving the access, the educational capacity, in capabilities,” said Mr. Uy. —