SEAMEO Innotech, DepEd, TESDA Unite to Harmonize Skills with Job Market Demands

Red Mendoza | Manila Times

PHILIPPINES. Manila Times (18 April 2025) - THE Philippine Qualifications Framework-National Coordinating Council (PQF-NCC) called for the alignment of the education and labor sectors under the Marcos administration's workforce development plan.

The council aims to provide institutional support for reforms to harmonize learning outcomes, strengthen labor mobility and align Philippine qualifications with international standards.

The PQF-NCC is composed of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), alongside the Department of Labor and Employment, the Professional Regulations Commission and the Southeast Asian Education Ministers Organization (Seameo) Innotech Center.

The meeting was chaired by Education Secretary Sonny Angara and attended by CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III, Tesda Director General Jose Francisco Benitez, Labor Undersecretary Carmela Torres, PRC Assistant Commissioner Louis Varela and Seameo Innotech Director Majah Leah Ravago.

"What was once a seldom-seen level of collaboration is now becoming the standard. Our trifocal education system is leading the way in building a system that connects education more directly with employment," Angara said.

He laid out three strategic priorities of the PQF: The adoption of unified, sustainable national learning outcome standards across all education and training levels, the development of seamless pathways for learner and worker mobility across sectors and industries, and the alignment of Philippine qualifications with international frameworks to boost global recognition and competitiveness.

Angara said the PQF is a comprehensive system that sets transparent, unified standards across education, training and employment.

"By aligning competencies and skills with both local and global demands, the PQF shall empower Filipinos with the qualifications and mobility necessary to thrive in an increasingly evolving world," Angara said.

He also emphasized the need to integrate critical and strategic thinking as well as positive learning mindsets — qualities essential for lifelong learning and professional resilience.

The DepEd will begin to integrate PQF-aligned competencies into the K-12 curriculum, enhance teacher training to support competency-based learning, and work with Tesda and CHED to streamline program offerings in line with labor market demands.

"We must build a system where every Filipino can transform learning into lasting opportunity, where skills open doors, and every qualification bears the strength of our nation's ambition to drive inclusive and sustained growth," Angara said.

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