GAIN President Speaks at PALSCON Assembly, Furthers Advocacies with the Industry

GAIN President Ms. Monette Iturralde-Hamlin speaks at the 395th General Membership Meeting of the Philippine Association of Legitimate Service Contractors (PASLCON).  Also in photo, second from left is GAIN VP for Industry Relations, Ms. Grace Abella-Zata.

Ms. Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, President of Government Academe Industry Network Inc., graced the Philippine Association of Legitimate Service Contractors (PASLCON) 395th General Membership Meeting as one of its Keynote Speakers last July 28 at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City.
 
PALSCON is an association of legitimate local service contractors, and one of its major goals is to professionalize the service contracting industry in the country to realize a sustained and genuine economic progress. This aligns with GAIN’s mission to empower the Filipino talent to be globally competitive.
 
Expounding on the topic “Going Global and Securing Our Competitive Advantage,” Ms. Iturralde-Hamlin presented a strong case on English as the global language of communication and how it opens door to the outside world. English is undoubtedly the language for tourism, diplomacy, innovation, the Internet, technology, entertainment, society, business, economics, and trade. For years, Filipino workers had the competitive edge as a literate, English-speaking, and hardworking talent pool. However, in the education sector, international assessments show the Philippines lagging behind other Southeast Asian countries in English language proficiency. One of the significant root causes for this dismal performance is the absence of national targets. Ms. Iturralde-Hamlin then emphasized the importance of setting national targets in English proficiency skills by using the CEFR as the international benchmark used by universities and industries around the world.
 
Since its establishment in 2018, GAIN has promoted the adoption of international standards for communication and digital skills of the Philippine graduates and workforce through its national conferences and collaboration with various sectors particularly industry associations such as PALSCON to gather a stronger collective voice in pushing for legislation.