More construction-related skills course needed in PH

CEBU CITY, Philippines—With the continued shortage of construction workers in the Philippines, technical schools should offer more courses on construction-related skills.

Engineer Peter Paul Dy, chairperson of the Regional Technical Education and Skills Development Council (RTESDC), called on technical schools to offer more skills courses on carpentry, welding, steelmen and plumbers, among others.

“We have a skills mismatch. Manpower is the heart of the construction sector,” said Dy, who added that the sector is more labor-intensive.

He said those working in construction projects in Cebu come from all over the country.

“We have workers coming from Luzon, from Mindanao,” Dy pointed out.

He added that construction companies in Cebu were willing to absorb graduates of technical institutes under the scholarship program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

According to Dy, they also send their workers to TESDA to undergo additional training to improve their skills.

Last week, TESDA organized a three-in-one event that aims to encourage future senior high school students to consider taking up technical courses related to construction.

TESDA-Cebu provincial director Francisca Opog had explained that this event was held to help address the shortage in construction manpower. In fact, 30 percent of the scholarship slots would be given to students who study construction-related courses, Opog said.

The shortage in construction workers has worsened because of the Build, Build, Build program of President Duterte. This program requires two million additional construction workers.

Aside from public infrastructure projects, private construction in the country has also increased from around 29,000 projects in the last quarter of 2017 to over 35,000 residential and non-residential new projects in the same period in 2018./dcb

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