Three sectors’ collaboration needed to address skills mismatch

THE academe, industry and the government should improve their relationship and work together in addressing the issue of job-skills mismatch.

Melanie Ng, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president, cited this as part of the challenges of the three sectors of the country in addressing this issue. UP Ceb

Ng in her speech during forum, The Academe, The Government and The Industry on Wednesday at the UP Cebu, said that the recent data they acquired from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected a growth in the percentage of job-skills mismatch in the country for the year 2017.

“CCCI is an active player in collaborating with the academe as well as the government. Skills mismatch is an issue and we are focusing on it,” she stated.

Ng also cited the industry’s efforts to minimize the impact and lessen the percentage of job mismatch by establishing institutions, such as CCCI’s AFOS K to 12 program, which would provide skills training to those who would opt to pursue technical-vocational occupations.

However, the academe, through Fr. Dionisio Miranda, University of San Carlos president, said that a “major disconnection” between the sector he is representing and the industry still prevails.

“It (major disconnection) is a growing gap. Are we (the academe) providing competent graduates to work in the industry? We should provide competent employees . . . and there should be an academe-industry interactive discussion,” said Miranda.

He also said that the academe had not felt the government’s proactive presence in their quest to yield quality education and academic reputation as well as job-ready graduates./Contributor Morexette Marie Erram