Secretary Locsin and Hungarian Foreign Minister Sign Agreement on Vocational Education and Training
Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in vocational education and training during a bilateral meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 19 May 2022 (Photo from NYPM)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 23 May 2022 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary signed an agreement on vocational education and training (VET) at the sidelines of the 2022 International Migration Review Forum. The agreement will establish and strengthen cooperation in the area of vocational education and training between the Philippines and Hungary.
The Memorandum of Understanding on Vocational Education covers cooperation in the areas of vocational education and training systems, development of competency standards, assessment and certification in VET, strengthening businesses’ participation in VET, mobility programmes, research and development, and human resources development programmes in VET.
The Philippines’ Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Hungary’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology, as the competent authorities, will designate coordinators to implement the agreement. TESDA’s Director General, Secretary Isidro S. Lapeña, gave its strong support for the signing of the MOU.
The agreement will be operationalized through regular exchange of views on VET policies; benchmarking of occupational standards in priority industry sectors; technical assistance for VET system development; and building industry linkages through partnership arrangements, among others.
The signing of the agreement is the latest milestone in the increasingly active bilateral relations between the Philippines and Hungary, which will mark its 50th year in 2023. Last year, the two countries signed agreements enhancing cooperation on diplomatic training and on education on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Secretary Locsin and Minister Szijjártó also discussed the political, financial, and economic relations, including common positions on multilateral issues. Secretary Locsin thanked Minister Szijjártó for treating well the Filipino community in Hungary. There are over 700 Filipinos working in Hungary.
For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph https://www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/. END