US, UNILAB launch partnership to train high-tech workers

The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a five-year, P622 million ($10.6 million) partnership with Unilab Foundation to train Filipino workers to meet the evolving requirements of the high-tech manufacturing sector. In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Alliance (AMDev) aims to enhance the skills and resilience of the Philippine workforce, enabling workers to adapt to changes resulting from the adoption of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence in manufacturing. Through AMDev, USAID and the Unilab Foundation will offer apprenticeships, immersion programs, and knowledge sharing to students and professors from a network of colleges and universities surrounding manufacturing sites in the country. The project will also push for the academic recognition of its training programs to enable participants to pursue further education. “AMDev will improve young people’s ability to gain meaningful employment and contribute to building a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous future for all Filipinos,” Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said at the launch ceremony held at the Unilab Pharma Campus in Biñan, Laguna. “We hope that this private sector collaboration will allow the Philippines to advance to ‘high middleincome’ economic status and strengthen its ability to increase sustainable, inclusive, and transparent economic growth in the broader Indo-Pacific economic community.” (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)