On March 21 and 22, EduTech Philippines opened its doors at SMX Convention Center in Manila. More than 1,500 registered speakers, guests and exhibitors met to discuss and share educational concepts and technologies that are relevant in the 21st century. Four main topics dominated the discussion, namely the Kto12 reform in the Philippines, vocational training, tertiary education and the integration of IT into education.
GPCCI President, Tristan Arwen Loveres, was one of the panelists to discuss the need to ‘rethink accreditation to best serve institutions and industry’. As the Managing Director of TÜV Rheinland Philippines, Mr. Loveres is most familiar with the importance to uphold the standards of a certifying body. During the discussion, Mr. Loveres emphasized the need for ensuring the credibility in the accreditation process. This is where the German Dual Training concept, which is known for its rigorous process of skills development, becomes a very good benchmark. The system is successful because German Chambers play an active role in the competency assessment and certification, working closely with respective industries and academe. “We need to proactively adopt the German Dual Training model not only in support of Philippine Educational Reform Law (K-12) but more importantly to sustain our economic growth and development by making sure that competent and qualified skilled workers are available to cater to the needs of the industry,” Loveres says.
GPCCI’s Dual Training Project Director, Jana Everett, joined the panel discussion on ‘fostering regional collaboration and skills sharing: public and private sector approaches’. GPICCI supports a Dual Training partnership between Porsche and Don Bosco in Manila but also works with a Senior High School to support the Kto12 reform in the Philippines through the Kto12 Plus project. Both partnerships follow the German approach of skills training in two learning environments: the school and the company. “The premise of both projects is to link the private and the public sector as early as curriculum development to ensure that the next generation career starters have the right skills for today’s quickly changing industry demands,” Everett says.