The House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill 8139 or the proposed “Tulong-Trabaho Act” which seeks to institute a Philippine Labor Force Competency Competitiveness Program and free access to Technical-Vocational Education and Training.
The bill, principally authored by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, aims to 1) strengthen the qualifications of the Filipino workforce to meet the challenges of the rapidly evolving workplaces and work structures; 2) provide for more innovative approaches to TVET to meet industry requirements; 3) facilitate access to quality TVET; and 4) encourage the participation of industry and communities in competencies formation.
The measure provides for the creation of a “Tulong-Trabaho” Fund to cover the training fees of qualified recipients with access to TVET programs to be determined by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Board.
Access to the fund shall be made available to any person who is at least 15 years old and is no longer in school and does not have a regular job or is not undergoing any form of training for a particular job, such as out-of-school youth, unemployed adults, and those intending to work in the emerging sectors or industries.
Part-time or underemployed workers who intend to develop and expand their current skills and technical-vocational training may also avail of the fund.
A joint congressional oversight committee shall also be created to monitor and review the implementation of the measure as well as the disbursements of the Tulong-Trabaho Fund.
The committee shall be composed of three members each from the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and the House Committee on Labor and Employment, to be appointed by the House Speaker, and the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, to be appointed by the Senate President. At least one member from each Committee shall represent the minority.