Philippines pilots new green skills construction training

MANILA (ILO News) - The Philippines prepares to green the construction sector as climate change intensifies, and natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes threaten communities and livelihoods.

Construction remains a key driver of job creation, accounting nearly 10 per cent of the country's workforce. It is also identified in the National Green Jobs Human Resource Development (HRD) Plan as a strategic sector for creating green jobs.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2025 baseline study on skills in the Philippine construction sector, local demand for green construction remains limited due to the slow adoption of green building practices in the Philippines despite the existence of policies such as the Philippine Green Building Code.

Industry studies revealed that green skills interventions are mostly focused on advanced topics such as green building standards and project management. Practical and entry-level green skills are often missing in technical vocational education and on-the-job training.

Moreover, series of ILO consultations early this year highlighted the need to clearly define green skills in the context of construction work to ensure they are relevant to both workers and employers. Stakeholders agreed that green skills should emphasize work practices that promote energy and resource efficiency as a skill that all construction workers must develop.

To help address these gaps, experts from construction firms, labour unions, environmental groups, and the academe completed a master training programme on Introduction to Green Construction Skills (IGCS) held on 2-5 June 2026.

The programme held is part of the ILO-Korea Partnership Programme on Advancing Digital and Green Skills for Youth in ASEAN. The initiative aims to equip young Filipinos, especially those from low- and middle-skill backgrounds, to gain access to higher-paying and more secure jobs in the growing green and digital economy.

"The transition must be worker-centred. All workers, from labourers and skilled workers to equipment operators and supervisors, must have access to training opportunities that improve their access to green jobs," said Santiago Nolla, Secretary-General of the National Union of Builders and Construction Workers (NUBCW).

The newly trained master trainers are expected to promote a common set of green competencies that can be integrated into construction-related training programmes across the country. A series of pilot test runs will be conducted in July ahead of the full rollout across various regions in August.

According to Joshua Miguel Lopez, National Project Coordinator of the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme, the training distilled sustainability into key capacities that all construction workers in the green economy should have.

"It is crucial to be mahusay or adept at using green building techniques, masinop or thorough in the use of energy and material resources, and ligtas, ensuring safe and secure construction for workers and building occupants," he said.

Developed with experts from the Korea Polytechnic University, the IGCS course prepares construction workers for fundamental green building concepts and techniques. The course is envisioned to be adopted as a common competency across construction training programmes.

The IGCS emphasizes working with the environment, designing and constructing buildings that maximize the use of the wind and sun, reduce energy and resource consumption, and use eco-friendly materials suited to the local climate.

"Green construction is a way of rethinking building performance across its full life cycle," said Engineer Michael Gayona, Center Coordinator of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Green Technology Center. "The challenge now is not only how to teach these concepts, but how to contextualize them within the Philippine construction sector."

The training covered concepts such as carbon reduction, resource efficiency, sustainable materials, passive and active building design, renewable energy, and green building certifications, among others. Industry leaders also noted that these concepts and skills have applications beyond construction.

"These foundational skills are relevant across a wide range of industries, from construction and engineering to energy, transport, and even business operations," said Engineer Ronaldo Elepano, Jr., Immediate Past President of the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA).

The ILO/Korea Partnership Programme's Advancing Digital and Green Skills for Youth in ASEAN seeks to future-proof the region's construction workforce, especially the youth. In the Philippines, this project is implemented with the support of TESDA, PCA, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Construction Manpower Development Foundation.