23 October 2011
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Joel Villanueva has called on local government units, especially the rich municipalities, to pump funds into technical-vocational training for the youth to qualify them for future jobs.
Villanueva made the pitch to local chief executives of Luzon at the recent gathering of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines in Subic Bay, Olongapo City, which tackled among others, the local government units' response to climate change, disasters, unemployment and growing problems in the economy.
The funds are aimed at beefing up TESDA’s scholarship programs to provide disadvantaged youth with job training skills and schooling to better prepare them to continue their education or enter the workforce.
Villanueva said local government units; especially those that have surplus income can reinforce the current fund of the agency to benefit more from its Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).
For 2011, TESDA got only P700 million to fund the TWSP and the Private Education Students Fund Assistance (PESFA) program. It will receive the same budget under the proposed appropriation for 2012.
“Local government units can pour in funding support for our technology-based community training programs based on the needs and requirements of their community,” Villanueva said.
“We need to encourage high income LGUs to institutionalize skills development programs in communities and provide regular budget allocation for the implementation of skills training and livelihood program,” he said.
Villanueva said he hopes the additional funds from the rich municipalities can also be used to boost technical-vocational education in 4th, 5th and 6th class municipalities with limited resources.
“We hope our local executives will heed this appeal for them to see the need to invest in our young people. Hopefully the training they will get will lead them to the path towards the world of work which can improve their lives and their families and help them become responsible and productive citizens of this country,” he added.
Aside from the training fund, Villanueva sought the help of local government units in pursuing TESDA’s effort in strengthening technical-vocational education. They can help, he said, by passing resolutions supporting the agency’s campaign to close down erring institutions offering programs which not registered with TESDA. This will ensure that only the best and high quality education is handed down to students who have embarked on skills training.
During the event, Villanueva assured the local executives that TESDA is strengthening its ties with its partners and stakeholders through public-private-partnerships, especially among key industries in the sector and other international and government agencies.
“Working with the industry is critical at the same time beneficial because it provides the information on the types, kinds and number of skills we need to develop, it provides the experts in the development of standards, and it also has the technology and the training places where students and learners can acquire skills in more effective manner,” Villanueva said.
The TESDA chief also said that regular industry consultations are being done by TESDA to continuously improve its training curriculum especially among priority sectors such as agriculture, business process outsourcing, tourism, health and wellness, construction and infrastructure, automotive, electronics, maritime and telecommunications.
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