Philippines to train 5,000 tourism workers
A multi-million dollar grant provided by the Canadian government will be used to train 5,000 Filipino workers, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr announced at a signing ceremony in Manila on April 10.
The $7.1 million grant issued by the Canadian International Development Authority (CIDA), a developmental arm of the Canadian government, aims to sharpen competitiveness in the Philippine tourism industry, which is targeting strong growth.
“By 2016, 20 per cent of the total national labour will be in the tourism sector,” Jimenez said in a speech to media during the ceremony.
Moreover, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined in as administrator of the technical assistance grant, confirming its support for the Aquino administration.
“We are supporting the government agenda for inclusive growth,” Shigeko Hattori, director for finance, public management and trade, said at the signing ceremony.
While the loan amounts to a paltry sum compared to the massive $300-million infrastructure budget allocated for the development of tourism roads in 2013, Jimenez believes that the grant merely marks a supportive element to the sector’s ultimate vision.
“Quality is not an end product within the tourism sector, but instead a strategy supporting the Philippines’ growth and employment ratios,” he said.
In the tourism industry, “the Philippines has the advantage and will always prove that with the little help coming from its partners such as ADB and CIDA, improvements can be achieved for the sector and most importantly for the Philippine economy,” he added.
Projects financed through the grant will address regulatory impact assessment, hotel and resort quality assurance and accreditation systems, and the develop of human resource strategies through a skills and development programme.
Pilots for these programmes will be conducted in Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Davao, and institutional arrangements will be coordinated through the DOT, ADB and CIDA, as well as the private sector and consultancies.
[caption id="attachment_8275" align="alignleft" width="300"] Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez (center) at the siging ceremony on April 10 in Manila (Photo: Miguel Enriquez)[/caption] A multi-million dollar grant provided by the Canadian government will be used to train 5,000 Filipino workers, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr announced at a signing ceremony in Manila on April 10. The $7.1 million grant issued by the Canadian International Development Authority (CIDA), a developmental arm of the Canadian government, aims to sharpen competitiveness in the Philippine tourism industry, which is targeting strong growth. “By 2016, 20 per cent of the total national...
A multi-million dollar grant provided by the Canadian government will be used to train 5,000 Filipino workers, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr announced at a signing ceremony in Manila on April 10.
The $7.1 million grant issued by the Canadian International Development Authority (CIDA), a developmental arm of the Canadian government, aims to sharpen competitiveness in the Philippine tourism industry, which is targeting strong growth.
“By 2016, 20 per cent of the total national labour will be in the tourism sector,” Jimenez said in a speech to media during the ceremony.
Moreover, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined in as administrator of the technical assistance grant, confirming its support for the Aquino administration.
“We are supporting the government agenda for inclusive growth,” Shigeko Hattori, director for finance, public management and trade, said at the signing ceremony.
While the loan amounts to a paltry sum compared to the massive $300-million infrastructure budget allocated for the development of tourism roads in 2013, Jimenez believes that the grant merely marks a supportive element to the sector’s ultimate vision.
“Quality is not an end product within the tourism sector, but instead a strategy supporting the Philippines’ growth and employment ratios,” he said.
In the tourism industry, “the Philippines has the advantage and will always prove that with the little help coming from its partners such as ADB and CIDA, improvements can be achieved for the sector and most importantly for the Philippine economy,” he added.
Projects financed through the grant will address regulatory impact assessment, hotel and resort quality assurance and accreditation systems, and the develop of human resource strategies through a skills and development programme.
Pilots for these programmes will be conducted in Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Davao, and institutional arrangements will be coordinated through the DOT, ADB and CIDA, as well as the private sector and consultancies.
