Voelle , Jooyoung
A icle
Challenges and s a egies o expanding en e p ise-
based aining o de elop skills o he ICT indus y in he
Philippines
In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (IJRVET)
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Eu opean Resea ch Ne wo k in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (VETNET), Eu opean Educa ional
Resea ch Associa ion
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Voelle , Jooyoung (2025) : Challenges and s a egies o expanding en e p ise-
based aining o de elop skills o he ICT indus y in he Philippines, In e na ional Jou nal o
Resea ch in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (IJRVET), ISSN 2197-8646, Eu opean Resea ch
Ne wo k in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (VETNET), Eu opean Educa ional Resea ch
Associa ion, B emen, Vol. 12, Iss. 3, pp. 338-359,
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ISSN: 2197-8646
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Challenges and S a egies o Expanding
En e p ise-Based T aining o De elop Skills
o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
Jooyoung Voelle *
New App en iceship, 110 E Hous on S , San An onio, TX, 78205, U.S.A.
Recei ed: 28 Augus 2024, Accep ed: 17 Feb ua y 2025
Abs ac
Pu pose: Since 2000, he Philippines has expe ienced signi ican g ow h domes ic p oduc
(GDP) g ow h, pa icula ly in he In o ma ion Technology Business P ocess Ou sou cing
(IT-BPO) sec o , highligh ing he need o skill de elopmen h ough Technical Voca ional
Educa ion and T aining (TVET). Al hough en e p ise-based aining (EBT) is seen as he
op imal s a egy o suppo ing ansi ion o a echnology-d i en economy, i ep esen s less
han 4% o TVET o e ings. Resea ch on he challenges and s a egies o inc easing emplo-
ye pa icipa ion in EBT, especially wi hin he in o ma ion and communica ion echnology
(ICT) indus y, is cu en ly lacking. This s udy examines hese challenges and explo es s a-
egies o expanding EBT in he Philippines.
Me hods: The s udy employed a quali a i e me hodology. Da a was collec ed h ough 13
semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h TVET public agency ep esen a i es, p i a e sec o ep e-
sen a i es, and in e na ional TVET expe s who suppo ed TVET de elopmen in he Phi-
lippines. In addi ion, an online mee ing by he P i a e Sec o Ad iso y Council Jobs Com-
mi ee was obse ed o explo e he esea ch ques ion. Analysis occu ed concu en ly wi h
da a collec ion o iden i y hemes i e a i ely.
Findings: Success ul employe engagemen in EBT equi es EBT o be iewed as bo h a
p i a e and a public good. Findings a e o ganized a ound hese wo undamen al concep s.
In he Philippines, s uc u al challenges such as wage equi emen s, insu icien p og am
*Co esponding au ho : j[email p o ec ed]
339
Voelle
du a ion, and ine icien ax bene i s cu en ly p e en EBT om e ec i ely unc ioning as
a p i a e good o building company alen pipelines. Addi ionally, he lack o sys ema ic in-
ol emen om social pa ne s, leng hy p ocesses o es ablishing occupa ional s anda ds,
and insu icien awa eness hinde EBT om being ecognized as a public good. To enhance
i s ole as a p i a e good, EBT design should include wage inc ease schedules and longe
p og am du a ions. To es ablish EBT as a public good, i is sugges ed ha he e be sys ema ic
in ol emen om social pa ne s, lexible egula ions, and sec o -based s a egies.
Conclusion: This s udy enhances he unde s anding o employe engagemen in TVET
wi hin he Filipino con ex and p o ides policy implica ions o enhancing EBT in he ICT
sec o . These insigh s could po en ially be applicable in simila con ex s, such as de eloping
coun ies wi h a demand o skilled wo ke s in echnology-based indus ies, bu lacking em-
ploye engagemen . I ecommends u u e esea ch o u he explo e employe engagemen
wi h a pa icula emphasis on s a egic collabo a ion wi h social pa ne s, gi en hei c ucial
ole in engaging employe s.
Keywo ds: En e p ise-Based T aining, App en iceships, Employe Engagemen , Philippines,
VET, Voca ional Educa ion and T aining
1 In oduc ion
Since 2000, he Philippines has expe ienced signi ican g ow h in g oss domes ic p oduc
(GDP), pa icula ly in he In o ma ion Technology Business P ocess Ou sou cing (IT-BPO)
indus y. Consequen ly, de eloping skills o suppo he ansi ion o a echnology-based
economy h ough Technical Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (TVET) has aken cen e
s age (Asian De elopmen Bank, 2021a; Dadios e al., 2018; Technical Educa ion and Skills
De elopmen Au ho i y [TESDA], 2016). Al hough he na ion's pe capi a GDP, adjus ed o
pu chasing powe pa i y, was only hal o he global a e age a $9,471 in 2019, he Philippines
achie ed an imp essi e annual g ow h a e o 6.3% be ween 2010 and 2019. This g ow h was
d i en by a s uc u al ans o ma ion ha shi ed esou ces om lowe - o highe -p oduc-
i i y economic sec o s o e he pas wo decades. This ans o ma ion is exempli ied by he
no able g ow h o he IT-BPO indus y, which had a g ow h a e o 17-18% be ween 2000
and 2015 (Asian De elopmen Bank, 2021a). By 2016, IT-BPO e enue eached an es ima ed
$22.9 billion, accoun ing o 8.5% o he Philippines' GDP (Asian De elopmen Bank, 2018).
Howe e , he ad ancemen o se ice au oma ion, accele a ed by a i icial in elligence,
obo ic p ocesses, big da a analysis, and cloud compu ing as pa o he Fou h Indus ial
Re olu ion, has c ea ed a heigh ened demand o upskilling and eskilling he wo k o ce as
he coun y endea o s o ansi ion owa d a echnology-d i en economy. Cu en ly, 62%
o IT-BPO jobs a e ca ego ized as cle ical suppo , including call cen e wo ke s. Wi hou
340 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
upskilling and eskilling, i is expec ed ha 24% o employmen in IT-BPO may be displaced
by 2030 due o se ice au oma ion (Asian De elopmen Bank, 2021a).
As a esul , discussions on enhancing wo k o ce p epa edness o he echnology-based
indus y h ough TVET ha e ecei ed a en ion om bo h he go e nmen and he p i a e
sec o (Asian De elopmen Bank, 2021b; Dadios e al., 2018; TESDA, 2016). P esen ly, mos
TVET p og ams in he Philippines a ge adi ional indus ies, such as ou ism, ag icul u e,
and cons uc ion- ela ed occupa ions, o e ing non-c edi -bea ing, pos -seconda y educa-
ion egula ed by he Technical Educa ion and Skills De elopmen Au ho i y (TESDA). In-
o ma ion and communica ion echnologies (ICT) ank en h in TVET o e ings, ep esen-
ing only 4.4% o he o al. The a ailable ICT p og ams ocus la gely on gaming, anima ion,
and a limi ed numbe o p og amming languages (TESDA, n.d.-b), which is insu icien p e-
pa a ion o he Fou h Indus ial Re olu ion. Mo eo e , mos o his aining is ins i u ion-
and communi y-based, lacking employe engagemen (O be a, 2022), a c ucial componen
o oca ional educa ion. While TVET o e ings in he Philippines include en e p ise-based
aining (EBT), and schola s and p ac i ione s acknowledge EBT as he ideal TVET s a egy
in p epa a ion o he echnology-o ien ed economy in he Philippines (Asian De elopmen
Bank, 2021a; Dadios e al., 2018; O be a & Esgue a, 2016; TESDA, 2016), EBT cons i u es
less han 4% o he o e all TVET o e ings in he coun y (O be a & Co pus, 2021).
EBT inhe en ly aligns wi h he cons an ly e ol ing demands o he mode n wo kplace.
Wi h echnology ad ancing a such a apid pace, ce ain asks may become ou da ed, causing
speci ic skills o lose hei ele ance. In his con ex , EBT holds a dis inc ad an age. How-
e e , a comp ehensi e s udy explo ing he challenges and s a egies o EBT expansion a
he sys em le el—pa icula ly in he ICT indus y—is cu en ly lacking. The limi ed exis-
ing s udies on TVET in he Philippines ha e p ima ily ocused on he cu en landscape o
TVET and gene al sugges ions o imp o emen in he knowledge economy (Asian De e-
lopmen Bank, 2021a, 2021b; Budh ani e al., 2018; O be a, 2022). The ew s udies on EBT
ha e ocused on cos analysis (Mapa e al., 2016) and examples o EBT in adi ional TVET
occupa ions (De nbach, 2020), ye hese s udies we e conduc ed p ima ily in adi ional oc-
cupa ions, no in ICT.
The e o e, his quali a i e s udy explo es he challenges and s a egies o expanding
EBT in he Philippines based on he pe cep ions o p ima y TVET s akeholde s/expe s:
TVET public agencies, p i a e sec o ep esen a i es, and oca ional educa ion p o ide s.
Pa icula a en ion is gi en o he ICT indus y, in line wi h he na ion's e o s o ansi ion
in o a echnology-based economy and enhance wo k o ce skills. Th ough a comp ehensi e
examina ion o EBT a he sys em le el, using he amewo k o incen i es o EBT as bo h
p i a e and public goods (Chankseliani & Anua , 2019), his s udy p o ides policy ecom-
menda ions o imp o ing he EBT sys em and e ec i ely engaging employe s in he Phi-
lippines. Mo e b oadly, his s udy also o e s insigh s in o employe engagemen in TVET,
341
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which can be applicable beyond he Philippines, pa icula ly o de eloping coun ies aiming
o ansi ion o a knowledge- and echnology-based economy, whe e skilled alen de elop-
men h ough TVET is essen ial.
2 Li e a u eRe iew
Be o e del ing in o he o e iew o TVET and employe engagemen in he Philippines, his
chap e begins by examining he gene al incen i es o employe engagemen in TVET. To do
so, i uses he e m "app en iceships" o e e o a TVET model ha combines bo h on- he-
job and o - he-job aining, culmina ing in a ecognized quali ica ion (In e na ional Labo
O ganiza ion [ILO], 2023).
2.1 Incen i es o Employe Engagemen inTVET:
P i a e sCollec i eGood
Acco ding o Chankseliani and Anua (2019), he incen i es ha d i e employe s o pa i-
cipa e in app en iceships equi e such p og ams o be ega ded no only as a p i a e good,
which can build hei alen pipeline, bu also as a collec i e good, which can suppo alen
de elopmen o he en i e indus y. When seen p ima ily as a p i a e good, companies in-
es in app en iceships because hese p og ams se e as a ec ui men pipeline wi h a posi i e
e u n on in es men . They enable companies o e alua e an app en ice's pe o mance be o e
commi ing o ull- ime employmen . Addi ionally, companies bene i om aining app en-
ices di ec ly wi hin hei speci ic o ganiza ional cul u e and wo k en i onmen s, whe e he
skills will be applied. Employe s o en see inc eased p oduc i i y om app en ices a e hei
ini ial aining pe iod (Goge e al., 2021), which se es as an incen i e since app en ice wa-
ges a e ypically low. O he cos s associa ed wi h app en iceships, such as aining in schools
and o - he-job se ings, a e o en subsidized h ough a ious cos -sha ing a angemen s
be ween employe s and go e nmen s. App en iceships can also cul i a e inc eased mo i a i-
on and loyal y among app en ices, who highly alue hei employe s' ac i e ole in hei de-
elopmen h ough in es men s in aining (Kuehn e al., 2022; Payne, 2020). These ac o s,
ca ego ized as p i a e goods, incen i ize companies o engage in app en iceships. Howe e ,
despi e hese ad an ages, employe s may pe cei e app en iceships as oo isky, complex, and
cos ly o jus i y hei in es men , ea ing he po en ial loss o hei ained alen o o he
companies (Moh enweise e al., 2018). Mo eo e , he ela i ely low s a us o app en iceships
in ce ain coun ies also impac s employe s' willingness o engage in his model.
The sus ainabili y o he app en iceship model is mo e likely when companies pe cei e
i as bo h a p i a e and collec i e good (Chankseliani & Anua , 2019). This pe spec i e is
e iden in Ge man-speaking coun ies wi h a longs anding app en iceship adi ion. The e,
342 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
aining app en ices is ega ded as i al o he indus y's alen pool, alle ia ing conce ns o
alen poaching since employe s a e also likely o wo k wi h hose ained by o he emplo-
ye s (Wol e & Ryan, 2011). This collec i e ou look is enabled by he p esence o coun y-
speci ic collec i e ins i u ions, such as chambe s, councils, employe associa ions, associa-
ions o educa ional and oca ional schools, and unions ha ep esen employe s' wo k o ce
needs (Vo inius & Rönnma , 2021). These social pa ne s o also e e ed as in e media ies,
o en ake he lead in designing, assessing, and adminis e ing app en iceships o yield mu-
ually ad an ageous ou comes o employe s' human esou ce de elopmen . This collec i e
sense o owne ship mo i a es employe s o iew app en iceship aining as a sec o -wide
in es men and also ac s as a pee p essu e mechanism (Wol e & Ryan, 2011), encou aging
eluc an companies o in es in he de elopmen o sha ed human esou ces (Chankseliani
& Anua , 2019). While he makeup o social pa ne s is o en his o ically de e mined and
a ies om coun y o coun y, hei s ong engagemen cha ac e izes a obus app en ice-
ship sys em. In con as , in school-based TVET sys ems, hei in ol emen ends o be less
p onounced (O ganisa ion o Economic Co-ope a ion and De elopmen [OECD], 2022)
and i is ex emely challenging o such engagemen o de elop o ganically (Chankseliani &
Anua , 2019) wi hou go e nmen in e en ion and incen i es.
Es ablishing app en iceships as bo h a p i a e and collec i e good also necessi a es ha-
ing a suppo i e ecosys em in place. This includes he p esence o a legal amewo k ha
ecognizes TVET as a iable educa ional pa hway p o iding access o he labo ma ke and
enables a sound go e nance s uc u e o e ec i ely engage key s akeholde s including social
pa ne s. Addi ionally, he e should be na ional aining s anda ds o ensu e he quali y and
po abili y o c eden ials wi hin he educa ion sys em and access o en y-le el wo k. Finally,
a p ope unding mechanism is c ucial o alle ia e po en ial inancial bu dens associa ed
wi h aining, ypically in ol ing co- inancing om bo h he go e nmen and he business
communi y (Bliem e al., 2014; Eule , 2013; Gonon, 2014). These essen ial elemen s a e in-
e connec ed, c ea ing a heal hy TVET ecosys em ha a ac s bo h employe s and lea ne s.
2.2 O e iewo TechnicalandVoca ionalEduca ionandT ainingin
hePhilippines
The cu en Philippine educa ion sys em ope a es unde a ipa i e go e nance s uc u e,
o e seen by h ee dis inc agencies. The Depa men o Educa ion (DepEd) adminis e s ba-
sic, compulso y K-12 educa ion, while e ia y educa ion, encompassing baccalau ea e deg ee
p og ams, alls unde he pu iew o he Commission on Highe Educa ion (CHED) (Mapa
e al., 2016). Es ablished in 1994, TESDA assumes na ional leade ship in he TVET sec o by
mobilizing indus y, labo , local go e nmen , and echnical and oca ional ins i u ions o he
skills de elopmen o he coun y's human esou ces (O be a, 2022; TESDA, n.d.-a). In 2013,
343
Voelle
he Philippines unde wen a signi ican educa ional e o m by ex ending he du a ion o basic
educa ion om 10 yea s o 12 yea s. As a esul , TVET was in eg a ed in o high school, in o-
ducing a Technical Voca ional and Li elihood (TVL) ack o s uden s in g ades 11 and 12.
This in eg a ion p o ides high school s uden s wi h he oppo uni y o ob ain basic Na ional
Ce i ica es (le els I & II) upon success ul comple ion (Budh ani e al., 2018).
The p ima y mission o TVET in he Philippines is o p o ide a pos seconda y pa hway o
high school g adua es op ing o oca ional educa ion o e a uni e si y pa h, while also p o i-
ding li elihood aining o he unemployed and ou -o -school you h (TESDA, 2018). Cu en -
ly, app oxima ely 60% o en ollees in public ins i u ions a e pu suing TVET p og ams. TVET
en ollmen has shown consis en g ow h o e he pas decade, ising om 1.6 million in 2010
o 2.5 million in 2019, indica ing sus ained and inc easing in e es . A no able ecen end is
he inc easing numbe o college s uden s and g adua es pu suing TVET alongside hei deg ee
p og am. In ac , hei en ollmen cons i u ed 59% o TVET g adua es in 2019, signi ican ly
highe han he 16% wi h high school and junio high school backg ounds. This end appea s
o be d i en by he desi e o di e si y and enhance skill se s beyond a bachelo 's deg ee in p e-
pa a ion o he inc easingly dynamic labo ma ke (O be a, 2022).
Cu en ly, he e a e h ee p ima y modes o deli e y in TVET in he Philippines: (a) In-
s i u ion-based, deli e ed by a ious TVET ins i u ions; (b) communi y-based, deli e ed by
local go e nmen uni s o non-go e nmen o ganiza ions, a ge ing poo and ma ginalized
g oups; and (c) en e p ise-based, implemen ed wi hin companies in h ee speci ic p og am
ypes and du a ions, such as app en iceships ( h ee o six mon hs o wo k-based aining),
lea ne ships (one o h ee mon hs o on- he-job aining), and he Dual T aining Sys em
( h ee o18 mon hs o combined company and school aining). In addi ion, TESDA ecen ly
added "moni o ed" p og ams— aining conduc ed by o he na ional go e nmen agenci-
es— o he ca ego ies o he TVET model. In 2019, he majo i y o TVET p og ams we e
communi y-based (44.6%), ins i u ion-based (33.8%), o moni o ed (17.8%) wi hou emplo-
ye s' in ol emen . As men ioned ea lie , while en e p ise-based aining is o en ega ded as
he ideal deli e y mode d i en by indus y demand, EBT accoun s o less han 4% (O be a,
2022). While he e is no da a on he pe cen age o ICT aining wi hin EBT, gi en ha TVET
p og ams o ICT indus ies cons i u e only 4.4%, one can easonably in e a signi ican sca -
ci y o EBT wi hin his sec o .
2.3 Employe Engagemen o En e p ise-BasedT ainingin hePhilippines
To examine he po en ial o EBT as a p i a e good, TESDA, in collabo a ion wi h he Fede-
al Ins i u e o Voca ional Educa ion and T aining in Ge many (BIBB) and he Philippine
Chambe o Comme ce and Indus y (PCCI), conduc ed a cos -bene i analysis s udy o
EBT (Mapa e al., 2016). While he sho - e m a e age cos s o wages and aining ($272 pe
344 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
ainee pe mon h) ou weighed he sho - e m bene i s ($117) o he p oduc i e con ibu-
ions o ainees, long- e m bene i s, such as sa ings in ec ui men cos s and onboa ding
new hi es, o aled $659 USD. This indica es a posi i e e u n on in es men o he Dual
T aining Sys em (DTS) in he Philippines when conside ing bo h sho - e m and long- e m
bene i s. Howe e , mos companies in he s udy, p ima ily om he manu ac u ing, hospi-
ali y, and wholesale and e ail sec o s, engaged only in sho - o mid- e m aining las ing
less han h ee mon hs o a maximum o 12 mon hs. The o e all s udy ou comes indica ed
Filipino companies should conside longe aining pe iods o achie e a posi i e e u n on
in es men (ROI). This is pa icula ly c ucial o expanding EBT in he ICT indus y, which
ypically equi es longe aining o es ablish a solid ounda ion and os e p oduc i i y.
Rega ding he o e all ecosys em suppo ing EBT, he Philippines has essen ial elemen s in
place, such as ele an laws, unding, and p ocesses o o mula ing occupa ional s anda ds,
also e med T aining Regula ions (TRs). Fo example, app en iceships we e included in he
exis ing labo law in 1974 (P esiden ial Dec ee 442), and he Dual T aining Sys em Ac (Re-
public Ac 7686) was es ablished in 1994, ins i u ionalizing he DTS in acc edi ed public and
p i a e educa ional ins i u ions and aining cen e s (O be a, 2022). The go e nmen also p o-
ides ax bene i s o companies ha engage in EBT (Mapa e al., 2016) and a ious schola ship
p og ams o TVET, such as he Tulong-T abaho (Help o Jobs) Fund, es ablished in 2019
o p o ide inancing o aining cos s and allowances. Mo eo e , TESDA has an es ablished
p ocess o de eloping TRs, delinea ing compe ency s anda ds, assessmen s, and de ailed ai-
ning a angemen s. In doing so, TESDA includes indus y expe s as ad iso s (O be a, 2022).
Howe e , he cu en ly a ailable TRs end o ocus on adi ional occupa ions, lacking indus y
s anda ds needed o suppo he ICT indus y h ough EBT (TESDA, n.d.-b).
3 Me hodology
The s udy u ilized a quali a i e me hodology o explo e he challenges and s a egies o expan-
ding EBT in he Philippines, especially wi hin he ICT indus y. Conside ing ha his s udy
does no seek o alida e o disp o e a hypo hesis, and he esea ch ques ion emains la gely
unexplo ed in exis ing li e a u e, a quali a i e me hodology is he mos sui able app oach (Me -
iam & Tisdell, 2016).
3.1 Pa icipan Selec ionandRec ui men
Ta ge pa icipan s in he s udy we e expe s wi h p ac ical and policy-le el expe ience in im-
plemen ing and suppo ing EBT in he Philippines. Based on li e a u e e iews and online
sea ches, po en ial pa icipan s we e iden i ied, including o icials om TESDA, social pa ne s
(such as membe s o chambe s and indus y boa ds in he ICT sec o ), TVET aining p o i-
345
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de s, and employe s in he ICT sec o . Addi ionally, expe s in in e na ional TVET-suppo ing
o ganiza ions ha ha e pa ne ed wi h TESDA, such as he Ge man o ganiza ions and he
Asian De elopmen Bank, we e sough ou . Ge many has been a leading suppo e o enhan-
cing oca ional educa ion in de eloping coun ies since he 1960s (S ockman, 2014) and has
collabo a ed on se e al ini ia i es du ing he pas decade o engage employe s o EBT in he
Philippines.
Th ough pu pose ul sampling, 35 a ge pa icipan s we e con ac ed om Oc obe 2023 o
May 2024 h ough email ou each, in oduc ions, and LinkedIn messages, esul ing in 13 in-
e iewees who olun a ily pa icipa ed. Table 1 below p esen s a lis o hese pa icipan s and
hei espec i e oles.
Table 1: Lis o Pa icipan s and Thei Roles
#Pa icipan O ganiza ion Roles
1 TESDA 1 TESDA As a long- ime TESDA o ice , TESDA1 suppo ed a ious
unc ions o TESDA including suppo ing he IT-BPO indus-
y.
2 TESDA 2 TESDA TESDA 2 suppo s companies in EBT egis a ion and scho-
la ships.
3 TESDA 3 TESDA TESDA 3 coo dina es he de elopmen o compe ency s an-
da ds o ICT occupa ions.
4 Chambe 1 Philippine Chambe o Comme ce
and Indus y (PCCI)
Chambe 1 collabo a es wi h o he social pa ne s o engage
employe s o dualized aining.
5 Chambe 2 Ge man-Philippine Chambe o
Comme ce and Indus y (GPCCI)
Chambe 2 also collabo a es wi h o he social pa ne s o en-
gage employe s o dualized aining.
6Indus y 1 IT and Business P ocess Associa ion
o he Philippines (IBPAP), Con-
g essional commi ee
Wi h se e al decades o indus y expe ience in leade ship
oles, including in he BPO sec o , Indus y 1 se es on he
boa d o IBPAP and suppo s he cong essional commi ee on
TVET policy.
7Indus y 2 Analy ics & A i icial In elligence
Associa ion o he Philippines
(AAP)
Based on ex ensi e expe ience in global IT-BPO companies,
Indus y 2 suppo s TESDA and companies in he de elop-
men o IT skills.
8 Coo dina o 1 sequa gGmbH
(Pa ne o Ge man Business)
As a Ge man TVET expe , Coo dina o 1 pa ne ed wi h
Filipino chambe s and TESDA o suppo dual aining p o-
g ams in he Philippines.
9 Coo dina o 2 Asian De elopmen Bank (ADB) As a Ge man TVET expe , Coo dina o 2 suppo ed TESDA
in s a egizing alen de elopmen o he Fou h Indus y
Re olu ion.
10 Coo dina o 3 Asian De elopmen Bank (ADB) As an in e na ional TVET expe , Coo dina o 3 suppo s
TESDA in o ging s onge engagemen be ween TVET ins i-
u ions and indus y.
11 Ad iso 1 Ge man Fede al Ins i u e o Vo-
ca ional Educa ion and T aining
(BIBB)
As a Ge man TVET expe , Ad iso 1 suppo ed TESDA in
analyzing he cos -bene i aspec s o he Dual T aining Sys em
in he Philippines.
12 T aine MFI Poly echnic Ins i u e T aine p o ides in-company aining in enginee ing as pa
o EBT.
13 IT Educa o Angeles Uni e si y IT Educa o engages employe s o c ea e IT in e nship oppo -
uni ies o college s uden s.
352 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
4.2.3 Flexibili yinRegula ingEBTandSimila P og ams
While he speci ics o EBT a e codi ied in o law, making hem challenging o modi y quickly,
TESDA ecognizes he necessi y o lexibili y o acili a e engagemen wi h employe s, pa -
icula ly in suppo ing hose in eme ging indus ies like IT-BPO. One such e o in ol es
s eamlining egis a ion equi emen s o mode n occupa ions ha lack p ede ined TRs,
coupled wi h he p o ision o schola ships (TESDA 3). This schola ship ini ia i e, launched
in 2006, has p o en success ul in p omo ing EBT- ype p og ams:
We s a ed a schola ship p og am o suppo skills de elopmen , especially o call cen e agen s,
because hey we e expanding. La e , his kind o model was expanded o o he ypes o BPO com-
panies. We suppo aining e en i he e a e no T aining Regula ions, especially o new skills.
Also, since hese companies a e no used o bu eauc a ic equi emen s, he e a e e y ew equi e-
men s o egis a ions. (TESDA 1)
This schola ship p og am has been widely success ul, e en ually leading o i s o mal es ab-
lishmen as he Tulong T abaho (Help o Jobs) Fund in 2019. Fu he mo e, TESDA s a ed
o acknowledge indus y-based ce i ica ions, especially wi hin he ICT sec o , as in eg al
pa s o hei o icial assessmen s o align hei p og ams wi h indus y needs (TESDA 1).
Ano he ins ance o lexible EBT p og am design is he ecogni ion o p og ams ha ake
a dualized app oach, exempli ied by Dual Educa ion T aining (DET) p og ams. Suppo -
ed by he Ge man Fede al Minis y o Economic Coope a ion and De elopmen , se e al
chambe s launched he K-12 Plus Ini ia i e in 2013, pa ne ing wi h high schools o o e
TVET oppo uni ies o junio s and senio s. The DET model, simila o he Dual T aining
Sys em (DTS), combines class oom lea ning wi h on- he-job aining bu modi ied DTS e-
qui emen s o allow high school s uden s o mee academic obliga ions while unde going
wo kplace aining. Addi ionally, i expanded on- he-job aining om he exis ing manda e
o 80 hou s o 200 hou s, accommoda ing employe s' demand o mo e obus aining.
Consequen ly, he ini ial DET pilo in housekeeping, hospi ali y, and on o ice indus ies
ga ne ed en husias ic employe suppo . Building on his success, Chambe 1 is now colla-
bo a ing wi h he Analy ics and AI Associa ion o he Philippines o eplica e his model in
da a analy ics aining p og ams.
Howe e , he ipa i e go e nance s uc u e o he Philippine educa ion sys em could
complica e TVET es ablishmen . As men ioned ea lie , he educa ion sys em is di ided
among h ee go e ning bodies, wi h p ima y and seconda y educa ion, e ia y educa ion,
and TVET unde he auspices o sepa a e en i ies o he Depa men o Educa ion, he Com-
mission on Highe Educa ion, and TESDA, espec i ely. This necessi a es ha EBT s ake-
holde s na iga e hese nuances when implemen ing EBT models, depending on he a ge
audience:
353
Voelle
Wi h he DTS model, you ha e o egis e wi h TESDA. Fo he DET model, we alked o he De-
pa men o Educa ion, which is in cha ge o he senio high school. I you a e a ge ing people in
highe educa ion, like IT-BPO indus y, you a e mos likely o need o collabo a e wi h he Com-
mission o Highe Educa ion. (Chambe 1)
While i is beyond his s udy's scope o examine he impac o he ipa i e educa ion s uc-
u e on expanding employe engagemen in EBT, i is easonable o assume ha coo dina ing
wi h h ee di e en depa men s o implemen dualized p og ams o a ious a ge g oups
can lead o agmen ed e o s, a he han acili a ing in eg a ed pa hways om high school
o pos seconda y oppo uni ies.
4.2.4 Sec o -BasedApp oach
Ano he c ucial s a egy o enhancing EBT in ol es a ge ing sec o s ha demand a highly
skilled wo k o ce and o e signi ican g ow h p ospec s. P esen ly, nume ous indus ies in
he Philippines ely on inexpensi e labo . In ma ke s abundan wi h low-cos labo , employ-
e s may lack mo i a ion o in es in skills de elopmen :
Mos p i a e sec o s in he Philippines simply ely on cheap labo . I you ha e his unde lying
business model, a co po a e aining model makes no sense. I you wan o ge he p i a e sec o on
boa d, you will ha e o look o hose sec o s ha ha e an eminen in e es in quali y imp o emen
and mo ing up he alue chain. (Coo dina o 1)
F om his pe spec i e, he IT-BPO indus y has g ea po en ial and an eminen need o skills
de elopmen h ough EBT.
5 Discussion
Employe engagemen in TVET poses a common challenge in coun ies wi h limi ed TVET
his o y. In his sec ion, I discuss se e al ecommenda ions o enhancing employe enga-
gemen in he ICT sec o in he Philippines, which could po en ially be applicable o o he
de eloping coun ies whe e he e is a g owing demand o mo e skilled wo ke s o ansi ion
in o echnology-based indus ies wi h limi ed TVET his o y.
Fi s , o ensu e ha EBT unc ions as a p i a e good, a well- hough -ou p og am design
and s uc u e a e essen ial o employe s o ecognize a posi i e e u n on in es men . Gi en
he ICT sec o 's need o a longe pe iod o ounda ional aining o ensu e success, i is c u-
cial o es ablish a su icien p og am du a ion, implemen a easonable wage inc ease sche-
dule, and s eamline bo h ax bene i and egis a ion p ocesses (Kucze a, 2017). Among cu -
en EBT models, only he DTS allows o an ex ended aining pe iod o up o 18 mon hs.
354 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
O he models, such as App en iceships ( h ee o six mon hs) and Lea ne ships (up o h ee
mon hs), es ic he aining du a ion o sho - o mid- e m, which does no adequa ely
se e he ICT sec o 's skills de elopmen needs. The e should be hough ul conside a ion
o hese p og ams' s uc u e o enable employe s o use hem as e ec i e alen de elopmen
s a egies. Fo example, ex ending he du a ion o app en iceships o a leas one yea , along
wi h a manda e o g adual wage inc eases, could be bene icial. Howe e , his ex ension mus
be accompanied by obus moni o ing o ensu e he quali y o lea ning and p e en he mi-
suse o app en iceships as a sou ce o cheap labo .
Second, o ensu e ha EBT unc ions as a collec i e good, i is c ucial o sys ema ically
in ol e social pa ne s, no jus in ad iso y oles, bu as decision-make s in a ious aspec s
o TVET design and implemen a ion. A s eamlined p ocess o engaging social pa ne s is
pa icula ly impo an in he as -e ol ing ICT sec o , whe e upda es o occupa ional s an-
da ds and assessmen s may be equi ed mo e equen ly han in o he indus ies. This s udy
sugges s he po en ial acc edi a ion o ep esen a i e indus y boa ds o ake esponsibili y
o designing occupa ional s anda ds and, whe e app op ia e, u ilizing indus y ce i ica es,
while TESDA con inues o e iew, app o e, and audi hese p ocesses. This would equi e
signi ican changes in go e nance, including he es ablishmen o a sys em o selec ep esen-
a i e indus y boa ds and a new quali y assu ance amewo k o p o ide necessa y checks
and balances. When hough ully implemen ed, his new go e nance s uc u e could also be
highly e ec i e in secu ing employe buy-in. Wi h inc eased owne ship and in ol emen in
TVET design, indus y boa ds could ec ui employe s o o e EBT oppo uni ies, se ing
as in e media ies. The oles o in e media ies o en go beyond hose o adi ional social
pa ne s by connec ing key s akeholde s, especially employe s and app en ices, o make ap-
p en iceships happen (ILO, 2019). In ac , coun ies wi hou a s ong his o y o employe
pa icipa ion in TVET o en ely on in e media ies o engage employe s. They may pe su-
ade employe s o o e aining, manage he necessa y pape wo k o s eamline he hi ing
p ocess, and e en ac as hi d-pa y employe s o app en ices (C aig, 2023). Gi en he
demons a ed in e es o indus y boa ds in pa ne ing wi h TESDA o expand EBT in he
ICT sec o , TESDA should conside an inno a i e, s eamlined app oach o engaging social
pa ne s in expanded oles o he design and implemen a ion o EBT.
Thi d, ecognizing and os e ing employe engagemen in a ious o ms o wo k-based
lea ning is c ucial. As Coo dina o 1 no ed, "people nowadays will need coope a i e o-
ca ional aining, a he han dual, indica ing ha p i a e sec o in ol emen is al eady in
p og ess". This pe spec i e unde sco es he impo ance o a sys em ha allows employe s
o engage in new indus ies, e en when occupa ional s anda ds ha e ye o be es ablished.
While s eamlining he TR design p ocess h ough inc eased in ol emen o social pa ne s
is i al, es ablishing new s anda ds in eme ging indus ies s ill akes ime. To boos employe
engagemen in he ICT sec o , a lexible sys em ha can quickly espond o ma ke needs is
355
Voelle
essen ial. In his ega d, TESDA's schola ship p og am o aining in ad anced indus ies
is a no able success and a s ep o wa d. TESDA should conside expanding his ini ia i e by
alloca ing addi ional unding o schola ships, pa icula ly a ge ing skills de elopmen in
he IT-BPO sec o s (Indus y 1 & 2).
The key insigh s discussed so a o imp o ing employe engagemen in EBT in he Phi-
lippines a e o ganized in Figu e 1 below.
Figu e 1: S a egies o Employe Engagemen in EBT Wi hin he ICT Sec o
No e. This igu e is he au ho 's summa y o he s udy indings, o ganized a ound he concep s o incen i es o employe enga-
gemen in TVET (Chankseliani & Anua 2019).
6 Conclusion
This s udy p esen s se e al implica ions. Fo esea ch, i con ibu es o he exis ing body o
knowledge on employe engagemen in TVET by adding insigh s in he Filipino con ex . No-
ably, i expands on he concep ual amewo k p oposed by Chankseliani and Anua (2019),
356 En e p ise-Based T aining o he ICT Indus y in he Philippines
o e ing mo e de ailed and con ex -speci ic insigh s ha can se e as a obus ounda ion o
u u e s udies explo ing simila phenomena. This s udy also o e s policy ecommenda ions
ha can be adap ed o imp o e employe engagemen in TVET in he Philippines and po en-
ially in con ex s o de eloping coun ies whe e he e is a g owing demand o mo e skilled
wo ke s o ansi ion in o echnology-based indus ies.
Howe e , i is impo an o acknowledge he s udy's limi a ions. This s udy did no del e
deeply in o he dynamics o engaging social pa ne s in he Philippines. While his esea ch
highligh s he c ucial ole o hese s akeholde s in os e ing employe engagemen in he ICT
sec o , and cap u ed inno a i e sugges ions om he ep esen a i e indus y boa ds, i did
no u he explo e esponses on hese sugges ions om o he s akeholde s, such as TES-
DA. This limi a ion pa ly s ems om he ac ha hese sugges ions we e newly de eloped
by he indus y boa ds and in ended o be p oposed o TESDA. Simila ly, some con lic ing
pe spec i es on he na u e o social pa ne ela ionships we e no examined in de ail. Fo
example, while Coo dina o 1, a Ge man TVET expe , desc ibed he ela ionship among
Filipino chambe s as compe i i e, Chambe 1 sha ed expe iences o success ul collabo a ion
wi h o he chambe s o implemen a new dual model.
O e all, as an explo a o y s udy o EBT, his esea ch b oadly cap u es s a egies o ex-
panding EBT in he ICT sec o . Howe e , a mo e in-dep h examina ion o social pa ne
engagemen was lacking, highligh ing a aluable a ea o u u e esea ch. I ecommend ha
u u e s udies ocus on he dynamics o pa ne ships among social pa ne s and in e me-
dia ies in he Philippines, examining incen i es and go e nance s a egies o engage hem
collec i ely in designing and e en deli e ing EBT. While meaning ul changes in a social sys-
em do no occu o e nigh , aligning policy wi h pa ne ships ailo ed o he sociocul u al
con ex can os e impac ul p og ess in he Philippine TVET sys em.
Acknowledgemen
The au ho ecei ed no unding o he s udy.
E hicsS a emen
The au ho collec ed and handled da a in adhe ence o e hical s anda ds, wi h all in e iews
conduc ed olun a ily and in o med consen ob ained.
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Biog aphicalNo e
Jooyoung Voelle , Ed.D., is he Vice P esiden o Resea ch and Cu iculum a New App-
en iceship, whe e she suppo s U.S. egis e ed app en iceships in collabo a ion wi h highe
educa ion ins i u ions and indus y pa ne s.
