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DOTr, CHED sign MOU on human resources development of railway sector
By TED CORDERO, GMA NewsThe Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding to fast-track and harmonize human resources initiatives and strategies to improve the quality and competitiveness of the country’s railway sector workers.
The MOU was inked by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III and Philippine Railways Institute (PRI) Executive Director Undersecretary Anneli Lontoc.
The initiative, which will be facilitated by the PRI, is expected to open opportunities for both workers and students who may wish to pursue education or continuous professional training related to railway operations, according to the DOTr.
The agreement aims to map out the level of skills and competency requirements for the different professions and sub-disciplines in the railway sector, it said.
Tugade noted that access to available courses and trainings for existing and future railway personnel is crucial, in view of the numerous and massive railway projects that the Duterte administration has laid out.
The Transportation chief said that the government aims to expand the country’s operational railway length from the current 77 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers in 2022 and beyond.
“With the goal as enormous as this, we will be needing indeed the help and expertise of quality railway personnel. Aanhin po natin ang mga imprastraktura at riles kung wala po tayong organized na itatalagang mga personnel na 'yung skills at experience ay ugma at katapat ng ating pangangailangan?" he said.
“It is my hope that with the partnership initiative we have strengthened today, the country will soon be known as a primary railway manpower source. I am looking forward to witness our railway personnel step up and achieve significant milestones in their chosen career, not just for themselves but also for the benefit of the Filipino people,” the Transportation chief said.
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For his part, De Vera explained that the CHED will focus on the following agenda:
- Develop a system of credits in order for the certification trainings of PRI to be converted into academic units
- Review the content and outcomes contained in the PRI certificate program and imbed these into the existing engineering curricula and/or elective subjects
- Mobilize top engineering higher education institutions (HEIs) colleges and universities to provide experts who can act as trainers in the PRI certificate program
- Develop university-to-university linkages between Philippine and Japanese universities for joint research and development projects on railway development
“Today’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with DOTr-PRI is crucial to undertake initiatives towards the development of human resources in the railway sector, and of course, in pursuit of the government’s commitment to the maintenance and expansion of efficient, fast, safe and dependable transportation systems which are effective instruments for national recovery and economic progress,” De Vera said. -MDM, GMA News