The situation of the construction industry in the 2000s amid the prevalence of poverty was the impetus in the founding of Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. - School of knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership and Service (PSEFI SKILLS).

There was an exodus of skilled Filipino construction workers abroad due to the rapid infrastructure developments in the Middle East. This created an alarming shortage of skilled workers. Poaching of skilled workers among local construction companies became widespread while salary rates skyrocketed due to the increasing demand. Primary Structures Corporation (PSC), one of the affiliate companies of the Primary Group of Builders (PGB), was heavily affected.

PSC observed systemic causes in the shortage of skilled workers. Professional and institutional systems of training workers to become skilled was rare or unknown. There were no instructors and technical schools. Transfer of knowledge or know-how was inadequate as the skills were informally passed on by fathers to their children and grandchildren. While construction was starting to become a driver of economic growth, construction was perceived as a poor man’s profession because it is dirty, difficult, dangerous, and dead-end. Skilled construction workers need to keep up with the emergence of new technologies and building approaches. Their years of experience do not necessarily guarantee that they are competent and reliable enough to embrace the demands of the industry.

On the other hand, while jobs were available in the construction sector, unemployment remained high. In the mid-2000s, an estimated five million Filipinos were jobless. Today, 25 million Filipinos are poor. Globally, 77% employers reported difficulty filling in vacancies due to job-skills mismatch. There has to be a way to bridge the gap between unemployment and poverty vis-a-vis the shortage of skills.

Responding to these challenges, PSC initiated skills training programs to better prepare construction workers. One of the trailblazing approaches was the integration of women in construction, which is a heavily male-dominated industry. The socio-economic conditions, skills shortage in the industry, and the initial successes in the internal skills training program inspired PGB to organize PSEFI to widen the reach of the scholarships and produce greater outcomes in communities. SKILLS was subsequently established to make the operations sustainable, institute a more organized technical education and training systems, and ultimately bridge the gaps between the academic curriculum of schools and skills requirements of the industry.

In almost two decades, PSEFI SKILLS continues to grow its services to industries, communities, and families. Its technical training, relevant education, assessment and certification services, and employment support have served 35,000 Filipinos. This was achieved with the sustained support of the affiliate companies of PGB and the collaborations with various development partners such as government, international donor agencies, corporations, non-profits, communities, industry, and academia.

We entreat you to know more about our journey and growth since 2008.