The measure seeking to protect employees working under the government’s apprenticeship program has advanced in the Senate plenary. 

This, after Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada sponsored on Wednesday, November 22, Senate Bill No. 2491 which proposes a new system for the National Apprenticeship Program to ensure that the new generation of workers would be equipped with the necessary skills to acquire a stable, well-paying job, and at the same time address the skills gap that continuously hound the country’s employment sector. 

Estrada, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment, said it is high-time the government includes a mechanism to protect trainees against harassment and abuse as this threatens the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. 

“Human resources development is vital for inclusive national growth. Now that our economy continues to return to normal or towards pre-pandemic levels, it is only appropriate that we compensate this with policies that will strengthen the Filipino workforce, especially in the so-called highly technical occupations,” Estrada said in his sponsorship speech on the bill.

Under the bill, apprentices who are 15-years-old and above seeking actual work exposure via the technical and vocational training (TVET) supervised by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will be entitled to an allowance which shall not be below 75 percent of the applicable minimum wage rates plus accident or disability insurance. 

Also, an apprentice would no longer be required to undergo probationary period if he or she is eventually hired by the company. However, the worker has to pass a set of aptitude tests designed by TESDA to determine their competency and readiness for apprenticeship.

The intern would also be required to undergo TESDA’s national assessment test before they can be given a national certificate or certificate of competency. 

According to Estrada, certified apprentices shall be awarded equivalent unit credits in the formal system of education that can be used in pursuing tertiary degree courses subject to the integrated policies and guidelines on equivalency and the Recognition of Prior Learning of the TESDA, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd). 

The bill also compensates companies that would be participating in the apprenticeship program through tax incentives from the government. Also, these businesses would be allowed to deduct from their taxable income fifty percent (50%) or one-half of the labor training expenses incurred during the program. 

“Since 2013, I have been pushing for an enhanced apprenticeship program for the youth so we can have highly competent and skilled workforce that can respond to the different needs of different sectors,” Estrada pointed out. 

The lawmaker also highlighted the need for the government to enhance the country’s tech-voc (technical-vocational) education and training and for the government and the private sector effectively collaborate to be able to provide quality jobs for the youth. 

“This is our way of investing in human capital to help in sustained and inclusive economic growth, the most powerful instrument in reducing poverty and improving the quality of life in our country,” Estrada said.