Firms urged to offer workers tailored training under EBET

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said companies need to offer training that will boost their productivity that is tailor-made for their operations.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said Republic Act No. 12063, or the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework Act, whose implementing rules and regulations were released on Feb. 28, is designed to upgrade the workforce’s competence and capability.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Jose Francisco B. Benitez said EBET programs will allow the workforce to “keep pace with the evolving labor market here and abroad.”

“With the signed IRR, the Department will collaborate with TESDA and industry partners to integrate enterprise-based training into the national employment strategy to further strengthen training towards stable and sustainable jobs and livelihoods,” DoLE said in the statement.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in November signed the EBET Framework Act into law.

The President has called training programs undertaken in partnership with the private sector as a means of helping the current workforce deal with a rapidly changing, technology-driven job market.

The Federation of Free Workers raised concerns that such programs are potentially exploitative if not properly regulated, with the possibility that they could turn into “glorified unpaid internships.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez