MARIVELES – The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) is pushing for stronger partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as it seeks to maintain the best labor services that it offers to its locators.

The initiative was formulated as the Authority generates strong interest among global investors and expects to need thousands of skilled workers in the next three years.

“Consequently, we have strengthened our communication lines with TESDA and our locators regarding their plans. This is to make sure that we can provide the labour requirements of our existing and incoming locators,” AFAB Chairman and Administrator Deogracias G.P. Custodio said.

The AFAB has been formulating programs to strengthen the work force in Bataan to ensure a steady stream of qualified and skilled workers with high productivity levels who can be hired immediately.

With the help of TESDA, the provincial government of Bataan and the local government of Mariveles, the AFAB is developing a system where the work pool is in sync with the current and future demands within the FAB to guarantee immediate hiring.

Meanwhile, the number of workers in the FAB breached the 20,000 mark in 2014. With the surge in investments, more jobs were opened in the FAB. There are already 20,017 freeport workers as of December 2014 compared to the 17,490 employees recorded in the same period last year. 

The AFAB aims to provide more job opportunities this year to ensure that the people on the ground benefit from the continuous growth of the local economy.

The FAB is the emerging fashion manufacturing hub of the Philippines as it possesses a budding cluster of companies producing high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories, like bags, jewelries, among others. Its vision is to be the Freeport of choice in the country by 2020, becoming a center of trade, innovation and sustainable development in Asia and promoting work-life balance, and global competitiveness.

AFAB