DOLE R02 aims to harmonize CagVal’s different industry sectors and manpower resources with emerging technological trends.

Tuguegarao City - The DOLE RO2 held a series of consultative meetings with the TESDA RO2, DA RFO2, CHED and DepEd RO2 earlier, seeking to address the employment demands of different industries with the available manpower resources, to consider the emerging trends on digitalization and technology.

The activity serves as a precursor to another round of consultative meetings with DOLE RO1 and DOLE CAR this Friday, January 13, 2023, in preparation for the conduct of a Grand Employment Summit sometime in late February or early March of this year.

Today's set of meetings included Regional Director Joel M. Gonzales, Technical Support Services Division (TSSD) Chief Laura B. Diciano and Employment Unit Staff Rachel Calayan's visit to TESDA RO2 and DA RFO2 as well as Assistant Regional Director Jesus Elpidio B. Atal, Jr., ORD Management Staff Head Rocialyn B. Jallorina and Employment Unit Head Kathlyn Sabado's set of meetings at the DepEd RO2 and CHED RO2.

The TESDA RO2, through Regional Director Archie M. Grande, shared that there are training programs that can be accessed by workers in select training institutions in the region that can help manage the imbalance between supply and demand, rattling off institutions offering agricultural courses such as the Lasam Institute of Technology and various state universities in the municipalities of Lal-lo and Sanchez Mira in Cagayan and Cabagan and Echague in Isabela.

Part of the TESDA’s presentation included courses such as organic agricultural production, digital agriculture, plant training and agri-entrepreneurship that can be offered to students looking for agricultural courses.

The TESDA also proposed the professionalization of some of the agricultural courses mentioned earlier in tandem with the PRC to cater to the further balancing of supply and demand.

The DA RFO2, through Regional Executive Director Narciso A. Edillo, was also visited by the DOLE RO2 earlier, specifically to chart the future of demand in the field of agriculture, including the present and future skills requirement in the industry.

The CHED for their part proposed the prioritization of agri-technology courses to be offered by State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the region to support the agriculture industry.

The DOLE RO2, DOLE RO1 and DOLE-CAR are in the midst of its preparations for the aforementioned Employment Summit, aimed to invite the likes of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma to the summit that aims to chart the present and future challenges in the industries and schools in North Luzon, with the end goal of facilitating a balance between supply and demand and cater to the further lowering of North Luzon’s unemployment and underemployment rates. ###