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Of focus would be an alignment of education and training with industry needs, especially in growing sectors such as renewable energy, transport, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and more.
The Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is doubling down on efforts to promote “green jobs”— or jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment — at the regional level.
In line with the above, DOLE regional directors convened at a recent learning session to discuss updates on their regional office’s green initiatives, including the implementation status of relevant legal mandates.
At the session, Undersecretary Atty. Benedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio, Jr. of the Labor Relations, Policy, and International Affairs Cluster and Regional Operations Cluster stressed the importance of collaboration among the government, industry, and academe to ensure a “green jobs-ready and -skilled” labour force.
He particularly highlighted aligning education and training with industry needs, especially in growing sectors, such as renewable energy, construction, manufacturing, transport, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism.
Institute for Labor Studies Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo further affirmed that producing a “green jobs-ready and -skilled” Filipino workforce is among the government’s priorities under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028.
In line with such efforts, the Department has launched a database of green occupations through the Career Information System and has provided technical inputs and recommendations to the Joint Memorandum Circular on the Implementing Guidelines for the Inter-Agency Collaboration on Green Jobs Certification, Incentives Availment, and Support Programme.
DOLE is also collaborating with relevant government agencies to develop green jobs statistics.
At the international level, DOLE has partnered with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to update the existing National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan. This hopes to create and sustain green jobs, anticipating green skills, and ensuring a ‘just transition’ to help address climate change issues.
Last but not least, the Philippines participated in the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference and joined other developing countries in negotiating the UAE Just Transition Work Programme, which centred around sustainable development, job creation, and protecting vulnerable communities from climate change impacts.
Looking ahead, the DOLE Inter-Agency Committee on Green Jobs intends to contribute to drafting the JTWP decision and map up the JTWP country programme on inter-agency interventions. END/aldm.
Lead image / 123rf.com
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