EBET law to keep unemployment rate down through training, up-skilling programs – Speaker

SPEAKER  Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez today lauded the signing by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the EBET (Enterprise-based Education and Training) Law.

“The enactment of the EBET bill will allow the government, with the collaboration of the private sector, to keep the number of jobless Filipinos down through various training and up-skilling programs,” said Speaker Romualdez, leader of the 300-plus strong House of Representatives.

Speaker Romualdez led other House Members in witnessing the signing rites for the EBET Law at Malacanang Palace Thursday morning.

He said the signing of the law is timely following the report of the Philippine Statistics Authority that the unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent in September from four percent in August and 4.5 percent in September 2023, he said.

“As I have always declared, as in inflation, the continuing challenge for us is to ensure that joblessness remains at the lowest level possible. The EBET Law will help us accomplish this task,” Speaker Romualdez said.

He added that the law would help resolve labor-related problems like job-skills mismatch and lack of competencies among workers.

“We are hopeful that the law could effectively address these issues so we can prepare our workers for the demands of the local and foreign market, and assist them in finding new or additional employment so they can help their families,” Speaker Romualdez stressed.

Under the EBET law, workers eligible to participate in the EBET program are those who are either new entrants to the labor force or employed workers who opt to undergo training through an EBET Program to acquire new skills, upgrade skills and obtain entrepreneurial know-how.

Among other qualifications, an EBET applicant must possess the appropriate aptitude and capacity to understand and follow oral and written instructions, and submit a recent fit-to-work certificate, which shall be provided free of charge by a Department of Health-recognized health clinic or licensed physician.

If this is not feasible, the firm or entity screening the applicant shall extend such service free of charge.

Enterprises may set appropriate educational requirements for a trainee to qualify for a certain EBET program. They may also prescribe qualifications for their workers who apply for up-skilling for job promotion.

A trainee under a general EBET program shall receive a training allowance from the enterprise, which shall be enough to cover transportation costs, meals, and any other expenses that may be agreed upon between the enterprise and the trainee.

Training hours shall be determined by the enterprise, which shall not exceed eight hours per day.

A trainee under an apprenticeship program shall receive a training allowance not lower than 75 percent of the applicable minimum wage rate.

In programs exceeding one year, an apprentice shall be entitled to a yearly increase commensurate with labor market wage rates in the sector, and subject to evaluation of performance.