Three Industry Associations Support GAIN’s Advocacy to Adopt International Communication Standards

GAIN receives statements of support from renowned industry associations, PMAP, IBPAP, and TIBFI. 

Several industry associations, such as People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc. (TIBFI) have drafted and released statements stating their support for global language standards particularly the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as a recognized metric for communicative competitiveness, and for the National Roadmap for Global Competitiveness in Communication Skills (NRGCCS) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).   

In a circular routed to its members, PMAP issued recommendations for minimum competency levels to enable graduates to be industry-ready using the globally accepted CEFR.  For entry-level jobs in Hospitality and Tourism, Allied Health Sciences, Education, Business, and Engineering industries, PMAP recommends B1 (Intermediate) as minimum and B2 (Upper-Intermediate) as ideal level. PMAP hopes these recommendations will guide educational institutions and industries when setting the program and course outcomes to ensure that their graduates and the workforce will be competitive both within the Philippine setting and overseas.  Ms. Angelina Mukhi, 2021 PMAP President, further stated that industry recommendations can be included in the many Outcomes Based Education policies of CHED such as Accreditation Criteria, SUC Levelling, Typology and Course and Program outcomes for Technical Working Groups.

IBPAP, in a letter by its President and CEO Mr. Jack Madrid, “salutes the efforts of GAIN” in forging strong partnerships among government, academe, and industry stakeholders to ensure that the Filipino talent are equipped with skills that make them globally competitive and future-ready for the fast-paced changes in the workplace. Mr. Madrid further emphasized that as one of the economic pillars and a key employment generator in the Philippines, the IT-BPM industry must remain competitive in the evolving business landscape, by ensuring that potential and existing talent develop and improve essential skills such as communicating and engaging effectively with global customers and stakeholders.

From the perspective of the Tourism industry that has generated 12% of the country’s employment requirements and created multiplier effects from primary and secondary providers of products and services, it is important that essential competencies in the areas of communication and digital proficiency be strengthened for local and global customers. For this reason, TIBFI, a tripartite body composed of tourism representatives from the government, private (institutional and individual) and labor sectors headed by its 2021 Chairperson Ms. Ma. Christina Aquino recommended a CEFR minimum level of B1 for entry-level positions, and B2 for managerial positions for hospitality and tourism industries.