the formulation of policies, plans, and programs to efficiently set the broad parameters for national and sub-national (area-wide, regional, and local development); reviewing, evaluating, and monitoring infrastructure projects identified under the Comprehensive and Integrated Infrastructure Program consistent with the government’s thrust of increasing investment spending for the growing demand on quality infrastructure facilities; and undertaking of short-term policy reviews to provide critical analyses of development issues and policy alternatives to decision-makers.128 56. In 2021, NEDA updated the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 20172022 Strategies for School-to-Work Transition to include the following strategies to aid school to work transition: (i) setting up joint industry and government bodies for technical and vocational education and training quality assurance; (ii) enhancing the implementation of students financial assistance program (StuFAPs) and the timely awarding of StuFAPs including the benefits under the Universal Access to Quality and Tertiary Education Act; (iii) developing a roadmap for academic and technical programs responsive to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe), including updating the K-12 curriculum and developing a new program that will allow students to cater to emerging disciplines and address the country’s post-pandemic needs; (iv) intensifying distance learning methods to promote learning continuity and retooling; (v) modernizing learning and teaching material and methods in cross-cutting strategy, the entire education sector needs to revisit the ecological approaches, assessment strategies, and learning materials; (vi) maximizing government-industry collaboration and international partnership; (vii) developing an action plan to operationalize the PQF; (viii) boosting and expanding employment facilitation services; and (ix) strengthening and expanding internship and dual training programs. 57. NEDA also recommends certain amendments to the Apprenticeship Law to encourage enterprises to participate in the implementation of apprenticeship programs. Their proposed Apprenticeship Bill seeks to expand and make the existing apprenticeship law adapt to the emerging demands of the labor market. The agency’s key recommendations include: (a) defining apprenticeship or apprenticeable occupation as “training” rather than “employment”; (b) providing a training allowance equivalent to 75% of the minimum wage and consistent with the Dual Training Systems Act and Labor Code; (c) exempting from probationary employment certified apprentices who are employed by the same enterprise with which they entered into an apprenticeship agreement with; (d) extending the current six months limit to four years maximum duration to ensure the scheme remains relevant for skilled occupations that require a much longer learning period; (e) allowing greater industry involvement in identifying apprenticeship occupation; (f) developing qualifications, standards and curricula, and monitoring; and (g) extending tax incentives aligned with the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or the CREATE Act. 128 Id. 33