Berlin.  A twenty-person delegation from the Philippines recently crisscrossed Germany to get an in depth look at Germany’s dual education system and to learn which elements of the German model could be successfully incorporated into the Philippine setting. The group visited Frankfurt, Berlin, Bonn and Stuttgart from 12 to 16 October 2015.

Tobias Bolle, Project Director of Dual Training at the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), helped organize the Philippine delegation with representatives from the Department of Education, TESDA, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and its local chapters as well as private PHL companies such as TÜV Rheinland Philippines, BAG Electronics and CS Garments Inc.

The study tour was part of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funded K-12 Plus Project, which is creating pilot models for the vocational education and training track at PHL senior high school levels.

Tobias emphasized that “strong cooperation among private companies, schools and chambers is essential in the dual training system in Germany; this is precisely what we want to recreate in the Philippines – through the K-12 Project. The site visits enabled the delegates to learn more and to get a deeper understanding of how this system works and how it can be translated and implemented in their country through their respective institutions.”

The study tour included visits  to the Chamber of Commerce Headquarters (DIHK) and Chambers of Crafts (ZDH, HWK),  Don Bosco Mondo and the Federal Institute for Vocational Training and Education (BIBB) and Porsche.

Ambassador Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek, who welcomed and joined the delegation in Bonn, was glad that the major PHL stakeholders of the program: the PCCI, DepEd, and TESDA were represented in the study tour. She emphasized that it was important for all three, especially the business sector, to make the system work and to take advantage of the support of Germany on the matter. “It will be an all-win situation for all and a major goal will be met : we would have a skilled and marketable workforce and we can find the right job-fit for our youth.”

She noted that German companies operating in the Philippines have been role models of the dual-tech training system. She hoped that these companies “will continue to strongly demonstrate the system on local industry in the Philippines.  German companies like Continental Temic, BAG Electronics, and CS Garments are proving that significantly investing in on-the-job-training and apprenticeships for highschool students will benefit companies. You will have students who will develop an aptitude for a work sector and thereafter be more productive, ambitious, and loyal to companies.”

In particular, Philippine delegates gained insights on the partnership between Don Bosco, Porsche AG, and PGA Cars which are jointly running the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia (PTRCA) in Manila.  The PTRCA trains mechatronics specialists for deployment to Porsche Service Centers in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.  An expanded PTRCA program is expected to be launched later this year.

As part of the study tour, an iMOVE Roundtable on the Philippines was also held in Bonn on 14 October 2015 to explore how the German training sector could forge partnerships with their Philippine counterparts.  The dual-tech system consist of both classroom study and hands-on practical experience at the workplace.  The delegation agreed that Philippine partners needed to find solutions that will allow trainees greater time in the work place as well as access to relevant technology in their fields of expertise.  IMOVE is part of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and is an initiative financed by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to promote German training providers to international partners.

Hans-Gerhard Reh from iMOVE, who had just returned from a visit to the Philippines earlier in the month, observed that “during the Philippines visit of Secretary of State Brigitte Zypries we met representatives of various German-Philippine companies. All participants and hosts agreed that training young people according to industry demands was necessary for the dynamic and sustainable economic development of the Philippines.  The iMOVE Round-Table Philippines was a great opportunity to discuss recent developments in the field of Vocational Education Training.” END