According to the government, the country’s highly competent, English-speaking, globally competitive young workforce, referred to as a demographic spot, could be a major contributor to the economy for many decades. Joel VillanuevaBased on several studies, this huge number of working age people will be an asset for the country in the coming years.
Jobs that await these young workforce range from service-oriented jobs to manufacturing. The government already has concrete programs to widen the country’s manufacturing base in 2014. There are programs that focus on the agricultural sector, including food processing and coconut diversification. The government is working hard to match the skills of young workers to the country’s educational system. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has programs to prepare the skills of young workers for the needs of industries.
The government said that by 2015, the Philippines will have a demographic spot. And by 2019, the country will enter a middle-income spot. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will have a per capita of $6,000. This is the reason the government continues to strengthen the TESDA program, encouraging those enrolled in vocational courses to continue honing their skills.
TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program, which started in 2010 to September, 2013, has had 547,554 graduates. In 2012, 62.4 percent of TESDA graduates were able to find employment. For those engaged in information technology (IT), TESDA reported a 70.9 percent employment rate. And for those who graduated in electronics and semiconductor programs, TESDA reported that 85 percent of the graduates were able to find jobs.
We congratulate the government of the Republic of the Philippines headed by H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority headed by its Director-General Joel J. Villanueva, in creating more jobs and programs for the development of the Filipino young workforce who contribute to the economic growth of our Republic of the Philippines.

Source: Manila Bulletin - November 25, 2013