REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Policy researchers offered recommendations this week in Qingdao, China to enable APEC members to capture higher-value added growth through transforming into innovation and knowledge-based economies.

The recommendations were presented at the APEC Study Centers Consortium Annual Conference which held in-depth and extensive discussions focusing on the priorities of APEC 2014.

“Innovation and human resource development are parts of the key priorities of APEC China 2014. These two critical factors will help upgrade middle income economies to high-income status and provide new growth drivers in the region,” Chairman of APEC Study Centers Consortium 2014, Liu Chenyang said on Thursday.

There are more than 50 APEC Study Centers hosted by universities and research institutes around the APEC region. They undertake research, disseminate information and facilitate discussion on APEC-related issues, initiatives and processes to support APEC’s vision and goals.

Director of the Angelo King Institute, Da La Salle University in the Philippines, Tereso S Tullao explained that one of bottlenecks in the region’s human resource development was the problem of labor talent mismatch.

“This talent mismatch is partially a result of the costs associated with educational institutions realigning their curriculum to respond to a rapidly evolving business environment,” Tullao explained.

Tullao recommends that schools produce graduates that are trainable and flexible critical thinkers more suited to the changing technologies and varying demands of the workplace. Computer literacy and software training will be required to close this gap.

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