Over 58,000 Filipinos — including youth, women, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities — have benefited from the Skills for Prosperity Programme in the Philippines run by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and funded by the United Kingdom government since 2019, according to the ILO.

The program, which has improved the equity, quality, and relevance in the Philippines’ technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and skills systems, has directly benefited over 7,000 people and indirectly supported over 51,000 individuals, with a majority of them being women.

Collaborating with government agencies, industries, social partners, TVET institutions, and workers, the Skills for Prosperity Programme has successfully elevated their caliber –rendering the country's TVET and skills systems more inclusive, relevant, and future-ready.

The programme conducted pilot initiatives to enhance the skills of trainers, students, and workers in provinces of the Visayas. The programme’s milestones include enhancing equity by guiding partners to broaden access to TVET and skills development among marginalized groups.

“We need to ensure that national TVET and skills systems are inclusive and responsive to industry needs. We need to equip workers with the right skills set so they can enjoy better job prospects,” said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

Under the programme, workers received additional training in their specific areas of expertise, enabling them to search for better paying jobs, locally or internationally.

A carpenter, mason, or plumber, for example, would receive hands-on training that can set them on the road to become master carpenters, master masons, or master plumbers or even entrepreneurs offering construction services.

“Through the Skills for Prosperity Programme, the UK has contributed significantly to the development of TVET as a pathway for skills development and life-long learning in the Philippines: From 2022, the programme collaborated with TESDA to enable improved capacity of teachers and educators to design learner-centred training in compliance with international standards – benefiting over 1,500 community trainers and employment coordinators for social inclusion in TVET”, said Laure Beaufils, the British Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau.

The programme’s culminating exhibit, Pathways to Decent Work”, showcases the progress in upskilling manual labour towards inclusion and sustainability. The exhibit is open to the public from 2 October to 13 October 2023 in Yuchengco Museum, RCBC Plaza, from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Notes to editors:

The Skills for Prosperity programme is also a flagship UK global education and skills programme working collaboratively with multiple partner countries, including a dedicated South East Asia programme.

The programme in the Philippines aims to contribute to increasing national capacity to achieve sustained and inclusive growth through the enhancement of skills development and technical vocational education and training systems.

Beneficiaries, ranging from Abaca farmers and processors from the Akeanon Bukidnon of Libacao, Aklan, and root crop farmers from the Panay Bukidnon of Tubungan, Iloilo. In Basey, Samar, Banig Inc. 's women tikog and buri weavers and dyers were trained while in Cebu, Lapu-lapu, and Mandaue, construction workers were mentored by the Cebu Contractors’ Association.

The Skills for Prosperity Programme in the Philippines was made possible in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. Institutional partners partners such as the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority, Aklan State University, UP Center for Integrated STEM Education developed the learning modules. Local Government Units of Libacao Aklan; Basey, Samar and Cebu, Lapu-lapu and Mandaue City, lead the mobilization of participants to the training.