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Thursday, June 22, 2006
Gov’t to invest P3.5B in labor sector: GMA aide
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
With an estimated 500,000 jobs available in emerging sectors this year, the government is putting in P3.5 billion in scholarships, training and infrastructure to prepare the labor sector.
“Emerging” sectors include cyber-services, tourism, franchising and health and wellness.
Secretary Arthur Yap, presidential adviser on job creation, said the government is set on maintaining the increasing trend in employment.
The April 2006 labor force survey shows a 2.5 percent rise in employment.
The government will use Reformed Value-Added Tax revenues, which have reached P22 billion, to address the labor market demand and labor force availability mismatch, as emerging sectors have an increasing demand for workers.
“In cyber-services alone, close to 120,000 employees are needed. We can’t even fill that gap anymore,” he said in his speech during yesterday’s opening of InTourpreneur 2006, a conference in line with the Cebu Business Month celebration.
Apart from the P2 billion allocated for the construction of school buildings, Yap said the government is pouring in P500 million for the “ladderization” program, which allows enrollees in technical-vocational courses to pursue higher education effective this school year.
Back to school
The program will allow students to acquire some skills needed in industries and get employment even without finishing degree programs yet.
They can go back to school to enroll in additional subjects until they finish the course.
To ensure a higher number of college graduates, the government is also allocating P500 million for college scholarships provided by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
Yap said more focus will be given to nursing, medical and aviation courses, which are in demand globally.
However, Ched will determine a system to ensure that state scholarship beneficiaries will serve the country before they will work abroad.
No limits
“We are running out of doctors and nurses ourselves. We have to churn out more doctors and nurses,” he told reporters during a press conference.
But he said President Arroyo is against imposing prohibitions on Filipino professionals who wish to work overseas.
As for cyber-services, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology wants to involve state colleges and universities in coming up with a module to ensure graduates in information technology courses will match the needs of the industry.
The commission’s plan is being reviewed by business process outsourcing firms, which are expected to come up with feedback next month or in August.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 22, 2006 issue)
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