This report was prepared by the Southeast Asia Department’s Social Sector Division at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), headed by Director Ayako Inagaki. Preparation of this study was led by Sameer Khatiwada, Social Sector Specialist (ICT), with guidance and support from Shamit Chakravarti, Principal Social Sector Specialist and Lynnette Perez, Principal Education Specialist.

The report is a collective effort that brought together researchers from a diverse group and several colleagues from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The team that worked on this project shared a common belief that publicly provided training in the age of Industry 4.0 needs to reinvent itself to meet the needs of the Philippine labor market.

We are especially grateful to TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña for his guidance and deep interest in the project. This report would not have been possible without the support from the TESDA Deputy Director General Rosanna Urdaneta. She was deeply engaged in the study and provided useful insights to the team throughout the process. Other TESDA colleagues who provided valuable support and feedback to the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) study team include Executive Director Marissa Legaspi, Executive Director David Bungallon, Director Maria Angelina Carreon, Stephen Cezar, Charlyn Justimbaste, Pamfilo Tabu, Katherine Amor Zarsadias, and Andrei Aguilar.

We would like to thank participants during the ADB–TESDA Workshop that was held on 28 January 2020 at ADB headquarters. Participants from the regional offices of TESDA provided invaluable feedback to the preliminary findings presented by the authors of the TVET study. In particular, Regional Director Gaspar Gayona, TESDA Region VI; Regional Director Florencio Sunico, Jr., TESDA NCR; Executive Director Maria Susan Dela Rama; and Regional Director Elmer Talavera, TESDA Region V.

Several ADB colleagues have played a key role in making this study a reality. We would like to thank ADB’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Chief of Education Sector Group Brajesh Panth and Principal Education Specialist Shanti Jaganathan. Education specialists from the Education Sector Group Per Borjegren and Lisa-Marie J. Kreibich are core contributors to the report. Many thanks to colleagues from ADB’s Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department for taking part in the workshop, providing useful feedback, and helping with data access to the team: Senior Economist Paul Vandberg, Jade R. Laranjo, Pamela Lapitan, and Arturo Martinez, Jr.

Many thanks to ADB’s Philippine Country Office Director Kelly Bird and Principal Country Specialist Cristina Lozano. Valuable support was provided by Advisor Joven Balbosa and Principal Communications Specialist Jason Rush as well as Ruchel Marie Roque-Villaroman, Luvette Ann Cauman Balite, Raquel Tabanao, and Janice Chua

Alalay. We are also grateful for the team working on ADB’s financial support for TESDA in 2021 who provided useful feedback and suggestions: Fook Yen Chong, Anne Mendoza, Jose Tiusonco, Friedemann Gille, Vandana Rao, Lalaine Encarnacion, and Dama Yaris.