Technology is moving faster than most institutions can keep up with, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the conversation around the future of work. On February 8, 2019, the 2nd GAIN National Convention takes on this exact challenge, bringing together government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies under one roof to address a question that affects nearly every working Filipino: how do we prepare a workforce for jobs that, in many cases, do not exist yet?
This year’s theme, “The 4th Industrial Revolution: Preparing the Philippines for the Jobs of the Future,” reflects a growing urgency around this question. The fourth industrial revolution refers to the current wave of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation reshaping industries worldwide, from manufacturing to education to healthcare. For a country whose economy depends heavily on its workforce, both locally and through overseas employment, understanding how to navigate this shift is not optional. It is essential.
GAIN, short for Government, Academe, Industry Network, was established in 2017 specifically to address this kind of challenge. The organisation operates on a simple but often overlooked premise: that government, academic institutions, and private industry tend to work in isolation from one another, even though the problems they are each trying to solve, producing a globally competitive workforce, are shared. GAIN exists to break down those silos and create real coordination between the three sectors, with the goal of ensuring Philippine graduates and the broader national workforce can compete on a global stage.
The first GAIN National Convention, held in 2018 at the Heritage Hotel, focused on a foundational piece of that competitiveness puzzle: communication skills. The event examined how proficiency, particularly in English, directly impacts a graduate’s ability to compete internationally. That conversation was grounded in hard data. A two year study conducted by ETS, the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey, looked specifically at English proficiency trends among Philippine graduates. The findings were sobering. Proficiency levels had been gradually but steadily declining, a trend the study attributed largely to a lack of consistent standards across institutions. The data was significant enough to prompt a stronger, more organised call to action among both attendees and media outlets covering the event.
The conversation carried weight beyond the room itself. CHED Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III attended the full day event and spoke directly to the heart of the issue, emphasising the need for clearer educational standards and more active information sharing between institutions. His remarks underscored a recurring theme throughout the convention: that closing the skills gap in the Philippine workforce requires more than good intentions. It requires actual coordination, shared data, and a willingness from government, academic institutions, and industry to synchronise their efforts rather than operate independently.
This year, the focus shifts toward a different but related challenge: the role of technology and artificial intelligence in reshaping the workforce. As industries around the world increasingly integrate AI into everyday operations, the question for the Philippines becomes less about whether this shift is coming and more about how prepared the workforce is for it.
GAIN Chairman Dr. Peter P. Laurel frames the issue in terms that connect directly back to the findings from the previous convention.
“We would like to stress the fundamental importance of artificial technology, and its strong connection to language and comprehension. These are essential to upskilling and to the acquisition of new skills to stay relevant in the digital era.”
His comment draws a direct line between the communication proficiency concerns raised in 2018 and the technological challenges being addressed in 2019, suggesting that the two issues are more connected than they might initially appear. A workforce that struggles with language and comprehension will likely struggle more with the rapid upskilling that AI integration demands.
With over 300 representatives expected from government, academic, and private institutions, the scale of this year’s convention reflects the scale of the challenge being addressed. This is not a conversation meant to stay theoretical. The goal is to actively shape how the next generation of Filipino workers engages with artificial intelligence, moving away from a mindset that treats automation and AI as threats to job security, and toward one that treats them as tools that, when properly understood and integrated, can support collaboration, efficiency, and long term growth across industries.
None of this would be possible without the support of the organisations backing the event. The 2nd GAIN National Convention is made possible through the support of major sponsors Rex Bookstore and Bibo Global Opportunities, minor sponsors C&E Publishing, the Asian Association of School HRMD Practitioners Inc., Kalibrr Technology Ventures Inc., and Hopkins International Partners Inc., media partners Red Cloud Interactive, Bughaw Digital, Apex Global Learning, Manilascope, Green Giant FM, and Rivett Multimedia, and online media partners WhenInManila.com and Inquirer.net.
The event takes place on February 8, 2019, at Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati. Register here to secure your spot.