Quezon City 5th district Rep. Alfred Vargas has called on the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to reform its skills training programs to align with the target industries of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

“We need to align the needs of key industries like manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism with the level of skills and training of workers. These industries are important to the incoming administration’s goal of addressing the unemployment and underemployment problems caused by the pandemic and revitalizing the economy,” Vargas said in a statement on Sunday, June 12.

Vargas proposed that the TESDA could partner with schools, local government units (LGUs), and the private sector to provide skills training and even job opportunities.

“With the economy opening up, we have more Filipinos looking for work but may not have the skills needed by employers. Through multi-sectoral partnerships at the level of LGUs, we can identify the needed skills at the local level, retool the training programs, and provide immediate employment,” the solon continued.

He further cited the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) study which found that 99.5 percent of the country's businesses were micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and that these MSMEs generated 63 percent of employment in the country.

Specifically, Vargas highlighted the tourism industry as one that could be boosted by reform in the TESDA's skills programs, placing emphasis on the negative effects on the industry wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With more tourism establishments resuming operations or opening for business, we need to ensure that they have skilled staff to meet the growing demands,” he added.

"With the appointment of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, we are confident that the tourism industry's recovery will accelerate all over the country. A whole-of-government approach to support Secretary Frasco's vision will be indispensable and TESDA and other government agencies have valuable roles to play in realizing our common goal of prosperity for our fellow Filipinos in the tourism sector," Vargas concluded, referring to the appointment of Liloan, Cebu Mayor Frasco as Tourism Secretary.