Marcos calls for industry-linked education to tackle Philippines skills mismatch

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called for closer alignment between education and industry to address a persistent skills mismatch that is leaving many Filipino graduates in jobs unrelated to their training.

Speaking during a visit to the Lipa-Malvar (LIMA) Estate in Batangas on September 7, Marcos said education and training should go beyond producing graduates and instead equip Filipinos with skills that reflect the evolving needs of employers.

“Our people deserve the skills that allow them to find meaningful work, build careers, and contribute to the growth of our economy and our country,” Marcos said.

He said the challenge is to ensure that as industries evolve, Filipino workers are equipped to adapt and grow with them.

Skills mismatch remains a workforce challenge

Marcos cited a 2021 Asian Development Bank study showing that around one-third of college graduates were employed in occupations designed specifically for workers with non-college education.

The mismatch is also evident among technical-vocational education and training (TVET) graduates. Around two-thirds were working in occupations unrelated to the expected outcomes of their training programmes, according to the study cited by the President.

Labour force surveys have also identified occupations that remain difficult to fill, pointing to gaps between the skills available in the workforce and those required by employers.

“These figures call on us to bring education and training closer to the needs of our industries, and to better prepare our people for the opportunities that lay ahead,” Marcos said.

Industry-academe partnerships gain focus

Marcos highlighted the Batangas State University (BSU) LIMA Campus and the JERA-AboitizPower Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE) as examples of closer collaboration between employers and educational institutions.

Located within LIMA Estate, the BSU campus brings engineering students closer to companies and industrial operations. The campus welcomed its first batch of engineering and technology students in August, giving students an opportunity to develop skills informed by workplace requirements and changing industry demand.

The GTCOE, meanwhile, provides technical training and knowledge-sharing for professionals in the power sector, covering areas such as plant operations, maintenance, safety and emerging energy technologies.

According to Marcos, such partnerships can help narrow the gap between what students learn and what employers require, while creating opportunities for workers to upgrade their skills as industries evolve.

Government expands reskilling pathways

The government is also expanding alternative pathways to help address skills gaps, including micro-credential programmes, enterprise-based training and recognition of prior learning.

Between July 2022 and May 2026, the government registered 703 micro-credential competency programmes and assessed nearly 4.9 million TVET graduates, Marcos said.

The number of TVET assessors also increased from 13,535 in July 2022 to 16,640 as of May 2026.

Meanwhile, 3,819 beneficiaries had enrolled in the Enterprise-based Education and Training Programme as of April. The programme provides participants with hands-on experience in actual industry settings.

Marcos urged government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector to expand opportunities for Filipinos to learn, reskill and strengthen their competencies.

“Let us make training more accessible and responsive to the needs of our industries,” he said.

The President’s call comes as employers across the Philippines continue to face challenges in finding workers with the skills needed for evolving industries. Closer industry-academe collaboration, shorter skills-based programmes and workplace training could increasingly become important tools for ensuring that education translates into employability.