For the past several years, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)has spearheaded the Philippines’ participation in WorldSkills Competition and the conduct of provincial, regional and national skills competition in the country. As the lead agency of government, the perception of various organizations in both government and the private sector is that only those who are involved in technical vocational education and training are the only ones entitled to participate in these local and national events. Contrary to this belief, WorldSkills Competition is an event to showcase the best talents and skills of people who are engaged in international industry-standard competencies. While the WorldSkills Competition started from the disciplines that are considered technical-vocational in nature, emerging disciplines that are technology-driven would require a deeper foundation in higher education which are rooted in a knowledge-based, technology-driven learning system. Traditional skills deeply-rooted in artisan, hand-crafted skills remain part of the mainstream industry standard competencies but are now being transformed and aided by more advanced tools and equipment, a result of technology advancement in traditional jobs and occupations. The continuing evolution of jobs in all industry sectors necessitates a strong, radical and calculated shift towards skills of the future where the processes of learning from basic education, technical vocational education and training and higher education are in harmonious progressive continuum in sync with the evolving workplace standards and job demands in various fields in business and industry.
The economic advancement of any country is reliant in the capability of its people to engage in high-value adding endeavors. The advent of the digital workplace brought about by the phenomenal advancement of computing technology and the internet created the disruption of traditional business and industry processes giving birth to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, now commonly called INDUSTRY 4.0 and the INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT). Industry 4.0 refers to a new phase in the Industrial Revolution that focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. Industry 4.0, which encompasses IIoT and smart manufacturing, marries physical production and operations with smart digital technology, machine learning, and big data to create a more holistic and better connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management. While every company and organization operating today is different, they all face a common challenge—the need for connectedness and access to real-time insights across processes, partners, products, and people. The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) that are embedded with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies, and that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks. The field has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, including ubiquitous computing, commodity sensors, increasingly powerful embedded systems, and machine learning. Traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), independently and collectively enable the Internet of things. In the consumer market, IoT technology is most synonymous with products pertaining to the concept of the “smart home“, including devices and appliances (such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems and cameras, and other home appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers. The IoT can also be used in healthcare systems.
The shockwave of disruption brought about by these developments make organizations shift to digitalization of their industrial and business processes affecting every aspect of peoples’ lives. Connectivity is a crucial factor that has impacted on everyday activities of people all over the world. Almost all activities people are engaged in that can be remotely done thru internet connectivity have become the norm. Banking, Social Media Interactions, Entertainment, Health Care, Education and Learning, Sales and Marketing, Manufacturing and Production, Logistics, Transportation, Travel and Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Services, Design and Engineering and many other businesses in one way or another have to adopt to the new way of doing business either to expand and/or survive in the digital economy.
The world of work is changing-and some of the jobs are changing faster than others. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs study predicts that 5 million jobs will be lost before 2020 as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and other socio-economic factors replace the need for human workers. The good news is that those same technological advances will also create 2.1 million new jobs. But the manual and clerical workers who find themselves out of work are unlikely to have the required skills to compete for the new roles. Most new jobs will be in more specialized areas such as computing, mathematics, architecture and engineering.
“Without urgent and targeted action today, to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with future-proof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality, and businesses with a shrinking consumer base,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
So what skills should workers be acquiring to make sure they have value as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers pace? Some may be surprised to learn that skills we develop in pre-school will be valued highly.
David Deming, associate professor of education and economics at Harvard University, argues that soft skills like sharing and negotiating will be crucial. He says the modern workplace, where people move between different roles and projects, closely resembles pre-school classrooms, where we learn social skills such as empathy and cooperation.
Deming has mapped the changing needs of employers and identified key skills that will be required to thrive in the job market of the near future. Along with those soft skills, mathematical ability will be enormously beneficial.
Deming shows that in recent years, many jobs requiring only mathematical skills have been automated. Bank tellers and statistical clerks have suffered. Roles which require predominantly social skills (childcare workers, for example) tend to be poorly paid as the supply of potential workers is very large.
The study shows that workers who successfully combine mathematical and interpersonal skills in the knowledge-based economies of the future should find many rewarding and lucrative opportunities. The challenge now, says Deming, is for educators to complement their teaching of technical skills like mathematics and computer science, with a focus on making sure the workers of the future have the soft skills to compete in the new jobs market.
Recent reforms in Philippine Education laid the foundation to keep abreast of world developments in the workplace. The enactment of important legislations in education as follows:
- The K-12 System law or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (R.A.10533) aims to enhance learners’ basic skills, produce more competent citizens and prepare graduates for life-long learning and employment.
- The Ladderized Education Ac (R.A.10647) of 2014, or An Act Strengthening the ladderized interface between Technical Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education, aims to provide multiple pathways for those in technical vocational education and training(TVET) stream to continue to higher education and obtain college degrees by going through the TVET ladder or access ramps into the higher education degree structure.
- The Philippine Qualifications Framework(PQF) established through Executive Order No.10968 or An Act Institutionalizing the Philippine Qualifications Framework sets the national policy which describes the levels of educational qualifications and sets the standards for qualification outcomes. As such the framework promotes mobility, encourages lifelong learning and builds the workforce confidence. The PQF can help form unity as it harmonizes education and training qualifications and provides government with common standards, taxonomy and typology of qualifications. The PQF provides a standard for the recognition of certificates and licenses and shows pathways and equivalencies to promote mobility, encourage lifelong learning and build workforce confidence.
These recent reforms and other existing government policies pave the way towards a radical change in the Philippine Education System. While the Education is trifocalized, meaning, governed by three different agencies of government (CHED, TESDA and DepEd), the mechanisms are in place to work in harmony towards a seamless education and training continuum. What is needed is the continuing collaboration among key players that shapes the future of learning in the country that is attuned to the rapid changes happening today. The COVID 19 pandemic hastened the shift towards various learning modalities using connectivity and information technology. Health protocols have inhibited the use of the traditional face-to-face class engagement and its stead, online learning, both asynchronous and synchronous, blended learning, flexible learning, modular learning and other learning methodologies have been utilized to the hilt depending on local health conditions. Everybody have to adapt and adjust to the “New Normal” and it seems that while there are clamors to return to the traditional face-to-face learning engagement, the use of new educational technology will be here to stay.
The shifts in job requirements in a digital workplace necessitates a shift in the learning processes which would require a strong foundation in the use of computing technology, the use of online resources and the use of the internet aside from the core competencies that are inherent of the job. Further, the digital economy is mainly driven by connectivity as work engagements requires the ability to transact remotely or make use of technology resources to produce outputs. The workplace has abundant opportunities for competent people. The educational policy reforms provide ample opportunities for educated and well trained graduates who can show or demonstrate qualifications as defined in the Philippine Qualifications Framework. Depending on the level of competence shown or demonstrated, any qualified and competent person may be able to land jobs that fit their qualification. As the workplace become borderless, education system also become borderless. The platforms for learning are adjusting to the level of needs in the workplace. Short-term and long-term courses need to address various levels of competencies needed in the workplace according to the set standards. Job specializations may require continuing learning to be able adapt to the current and future work requirements as advancements in technology is inevitable and makes lifelong learning a necessity for career advancement.
The COVID 19 pandemic hastened the transition of the education system to shift as fast as it could to address health and social protocols. The pandemic disrupted traditional face-to-face learning and quickly shifted to other learning modalities whichever is applicable based on available resources. The goal is to continue the learning process and minimize the effects of school lockdowns and closures without affecting access to learning resources. Virtual classrooms, self-learning modules, 24/7 access to online courses, virtual simulations, blended learning and many other learning methodologies has become a day-to-day struggle for learners and educators who were so accustomed to face-to-face learning, most specially for those who lack the means and resources that goes with the shift. As we learn to tread unforeseen events and technological advancements, our learning systems should be able to adapt the soonest to be able to reap the benefits of an agile, competitive and competent workforce ready to tackle the jobs of the future.
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