To ensure that Filipino workers remain competitive and ready for the future, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) participated in the ASEAN Human Capital Development Investment Symposium (AHCDIS) held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The event, themed “Empowering ASEAN’s Future: Investing in Skills for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development,” brought together labor and workforce leaders from across the region to strengthen partnerships, share best practices, and attract greater investments in skills development.
Representing the country, the Philippine delegation was led by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), an attached agency of DOLE, to demonstrate the country’s strong push to establish a highly skilled, resilient, and inclusive workforce.
TESDA highlighted how the Philippines is equipping Filipinos with future-ready skills through programs such as the National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan, the newly enacted Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework Act, and its pioneering micro-credentialing system that allows more flexible, modular learning for Filipino workers.
TESDA also showed the country’s robust public-private partnerships through mechanisms like Industry TVET Boards and the ASEAN TVET Council.
The agency likewise shared innovative financing models like the Adopt-a-School Act, TESDA-LGU-NGO co-financing schemes, the Digital Skills Passport, and targeted scholarships to urge ASEAN neighbors to explore shared funding and training incentives to reach more marginalized communities.
DOLE’s commitment to upskilling Filipino workers was further amplified by Dr. Arlyn E. Siaotong, Chief Administrative Officer of DOLE Region VI, who joined fellow ASEAN speakers in tackling the theme “Train Smarter, Not Harder: The Future Workforce Investment in ASEAN.”
Dr. Siaotong emphasized the Philippine shift from supply- to demand-driven training models to help local industries get the right skills and promote decent work and inclusive growth nationwide.
The symposium is part of the ASEAN Year of Skills (AYOS) 2025, a milestone initiative designed to harness the region’s human capital and position ASEAN as a global talent hub. It was spearheaded by the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources through the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) with support from the ASEAN Secretariat and the International Labour Organization (ILO). END/IPS, with reports from ILATF, RO6
