Short answer. Yes, the Labor Code mandates one. Under Article 51, the Bureau of Employment Services is required to establish and maintain — without charge — a national register of technicians who have successfully completed a training program under the Code. No fee may be imposed for access to or listing in the register.
What the law says
establishment and maintenance without charge of a national register of technicians who have successfully completed a training program under this Act
Labor Code, Article 51 — Employment Service Training Functions. Read the full provision →
What the register is and who it covers
Article 51 tasks the Bureau of Employment Services with establishing and maintaining a national register of technicians who have completed a training program under the Labor Code. The register exists as part of a broader set of employment information functions the Bureau carries out, including manpower surveys, occupational studies, and an inventory of the labor force. The register focuses specifically on trained technicians — not on all workers, but on those who have gone through and completed an accredited training program under the Code.
Why the law specifies "without charge"
The phrase without charge in Article 51 is not incidental. It is a deliberate policy choice: the register must be accessible at no cost. This matters for technicians from low-income backgrounds who have completed training but might not be able to pay a listing fee, and for employers or agencies that want to verify credentials or find qualified workers. Making the register free removes a barrier to both supply and demand for skilled labor.
The broader employment information system it belongs to
The national register of technicians is one component of a larger employment information mandate given to the Bureau. The same article also covers measurement of unemployment and underemployment, local manpower resource surveys, occupational studies, skilled manpower inventories, and the publication and maintenance of an adequate and up-to-date system of employment information. The register fits within this framework as the specialized credential-verification tool for those who have passed through the Council's training programs.
What this means for technicians and employers
If you have completed a training program under the Labor Code, your credentials should be reflected in the national register. This is your government-backed proof of completion — useful when applying for employment, bidding on contracts, or verifying your qualifications to a foreign employer. If you are an employer looking for verified technicians, the register is the official reference point. The obligation to maintain it falls on the Bureau of Employment Services, and the law explicitly removes cost as an obstacle to its use. Note also that the Labor Code's articles have since been administratively renumbered, so the same obligation may be cited under a different article number in more recent references — the underlying duty to keep the register free of charge does not change because of that renumbering.