E-Learning Center for workers launched

In a move to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of workers, the National Wages and Productivity Commission has launched a program that will provide them with such opportunities.

The program involves the establishment of an e-Learning Center, the first launched Wednesday in Ermita, Manila, where workers will be provided facilities and training, said NWPC executive director Ciriaco Lagunzad.

The e-Learning Center has a reading room and mini-library, a computer room with four desktop units programmed with self-learning modules on productivity and a conference room for small group mentoring sessions.

Lagunzad said workers, prospective workers, and entrepreneurs could use these facilities for free while a minimum amount would be asked from employers of larger enterprises who would want access to the center.

“There will be training programs with labor centers and employers that will assist workers in using these facilities,” Lagunzad said when asked how workers could access the e-Learning facilities.

Lagunzad said the e-Leaning Center would expand the target scope of beneficiaries in promoting and enhancing their awareness in improving productivity.

Lourdes Transmonte, Department of Labor and Employment and NWPC chairman designate, told reporters that NWPC was hoping to build centers in different regions in the country soon.

“A lot of our workers only need the opportunity to learn about productivity to be able to improve our competitiveness,” Lagunzad told reporters.

He said the program was consistent with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s strategy to improve global competitiveness through mobilization and dissemination of knowledge and technologies on productivity as proposed in her 2006 State of the Nation Address.

Lagunzad said the e-Learning Center was one of the many programs the government would be implementing for workers.

“As you have seen, the government has implemented programs like the Tinapay ng Bayan [People’s Bread] and rolling stores and subsidies in rice, oil and electricity that are direct benefits to wage earners,” Lagunzad said.

But Lagunzad reiterated that the NWPC was not likely to have a decision this week on the proposed wage increase.

“Hindi pa makapagpasya tungkol sa wage increase dahil kinakailangan pa ng public hearing para makapag-submit ang iba ng kanilang mga posisyon tungkol dito [We could not decide yet on the wage increase because there still has to be a public hearing for other groups to submit their different positions on the matter],” he said.

The public hearing is scheduled on May 10, he said.

Camille Diola, Contributor