KATHRINE RAMOS – ANGELES

SR. TESD Specialist, TESDA Korphil IT Training Center - Bulacan

Outline of Presentation
 ASEAN Economic Community 2015
 ASEAN MRAs
 MRAs Objectives
 MRAs Infrastructure
 Philippines MRA on Tourism Structure
 Roles of TESDA
 Impact in the Philippines
Introduction
 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or
ASEAN is an organization of ten member
countries namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam. The main emphasis of the
organization has been regional cooperation, for
the mutual benefits of all member countries. In
order to capitalize on the regional cooperation,
leaders of ASEAN member countries decided to
implement the ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC) by 2015. The main objective of AEC is to
transform ASEAN into a region with free
movement of goods, services, investment, skilled
labor, and free flow of capital.
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN)
ASEAN Economic Community 2015
 Education is one of the many
industries that will be affected by the
AEC.
 Education supports the development
of AEC
 In this regard, the leaders of ASEAN
focus on enhancing regional
cooperation in the education sector.
 ASEAN Economic Community
 The implementation of AEC in 2015 will
significantly increase intra - regional flow of
university graduates, in the ASEAN countries.
 The responsibility of education is to make the
lives of as many people as possible better, to
help make sure no one gets left behind, and
everyone is prepared to face the opportunities
and challenges of the regional economy.
 However, the education systems among the
ASEAN countries are different from one
another.
 ASEAN 2015 Regional Economic
Integration
 Areas of Cooperation
 Human Resources Development and capacity building;
 Recognition of Professional Qualifications
 Closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial
policies;
 Trade financing measures;
 Enhance infrastructure and communications connectivity;
 Development of electronic transactions through e-ASEAN
 Integrating industries across the region to promote regional
sourcing, and
 Enhancing private sector involvement for the building of AEC
 ASEAN MRAs
 ASEAN Members States (AMS) aim to realize the free
flow of skilled labour within ASEAN by 2015 as embodied
in the Economic Blueprint, one of the three blueprints
adopted for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). 
 Thus far, a Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs)
Framework has been formalized among AMS for the
mutual recognition of education and experiences
obtained in 7 priority sectors - architectural services,
surveying, medical practitioners, dental practitioners,
engineering services, nursing and accounting
services, and tourism professionals.  The 8th MRA on
Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) aims to facilitate the
mobility of tourism professionals within ASEAN based on
competence-based tourism qualifications.
 MRAs
 Mutual Recognition Arrangements
are arrangements between two or
more parties to mutually recognize
or accept some or all aspects of
one another’s conformity with
assessment results
The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Tourism Professionals was
signed by the ASEAN Member States on January 6, 2009 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Thailand
signed on November 09, 2012.
 Mutual Recognition
Arrangements
1. Accountancy Services - Feb. ’09
2. Medical Practitioners - Aug. ’08
3. Nursing Services - Dec. ‘06
4. Electronic and Electrical Equipment - Jan. ‘05
5. Dental Practitioners - Aug. ‘08
6. Engineering Services - Dec. ’05
7. Surveying / Architecture - Sep. ’07
8. Tourism Professionals - Nov. ’12
 MRA Objectives
 To facilitate mobility of Tourism
Professionals / Workers;
 To exchange information on best
practices in competency – based
education and training for Tourism
Professionals; and
 To provide opportunities for
cooperation and capacity building
across ASEAN member countries.
 MRA “infrastucture”
 REGIONAL LEVEL
1. The ASEAN Tourism Professional
Monitoring Committee (ATPMC)
2. The ASEAN Tourism Professional
Registration System (ATPRS)
 NATIONAL LEVEL
1. The National Tourism
Professional Board (NTPB)
2. The Tourism Professional
Certification Board (TPCB)
Philippines MRA on Tourism
Professionals
Department of Tourism as National
Tourism Organization (NTO)

Tourism Industry Board Foundation,

Inc. (TIBFI) as National Tourism
Professional Board (NTPB)

Technical Education and Skills

Development Authority (TESDA) as
Tourism Professional Certification
Board (TPCB)
 Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) as Tourism Professional
Certification Board (TPCB)

 Tourism Professional Certification Board

 Government board or agency authorized by
the government of each ASEAN Member
State primarily responsible for the assessment
and certification of tourism professionals.
 TESDA’s National Certification serves as a
medium for the free movement of skilled and
certified tourism labour across the ASEAN
region.
 TESDA as TPCB
 Assess qualifications and / or competencies of tourism
professionals as specified in the ASEAN Common
Competency Standard for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP).
 Issue certificates to tourism professionals whose
qualifications and/or competencies comply with the ASEAN
Common Competency Standard for Tourism Professionals
(ACCSTP).
 Develop, process and maintain a registry of certified tourism
professionals and job opportunities
 Notify the National Tourism Professional Board (NTPB)
when foreign tourism professionals are no longer qualified or
have violated any technical, professional or ethical
standards
 Impact in the Philippines
 The ASEAN Integration would have a direct impact on
our lives. It will become a free trade, free trade of
goods and services.
 Education, HR Technology, training and Development
would be the trend as we learn to adapt, overhaul and
create new cultures to cater for the incoming varying
nationalities.
 But with Good, comes also the other story,
Competition will be the name of the game.
 People must continually develop themselves to stay
on top of their career. People believe that it happens
to soon. The real question is, are we prepared?
 \

Next Steps
 Call to Action

Be HOSPITABLE….
 H Helpful
O Optimistic
S Smart-er
P Patient
Be …. I Industry relevant
T TESDA Compliant
A ASEAN friendly
B Better
L Learned
E Eager
ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement
to Tourism & Hospitality Education

ARE YOU IN? ARE YOU OUT?

I’m IN!