09 April 2021
Taguig City - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) got the highest approval rating for its performance among government agencies during the past twelve months, according to an independent pollster.
The first quarter publication of PAHAYAG survey of PUBLiCUS Asia shows that TESDA gained a 62.1 % approval rating, followed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at 60.1% and the Department of Social Welfare and Development at 13.9%. According to PUBLiCUS Asia, the survey presented all major agencies and evaluated against a defined Likert scale—a commonly-used system in research that employs questionnaires for respondents.
TESDA also placed second in the trust ratings at 42.8% among the national agencies, following the AFP at 43.9%. The survey was conducted nationwide covering 1,500 respondents during the period of March 20-29, 2021.
Despite the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic which began in early 2020, TESDA still fulfilled its commitment of giving assistance to its trainees by devising its training programs under the “new normal” situation. According to TESDA chief Secretary Isidro Lapeña, TESDA’s high ratings may be attributed to its advocacy of helping the displaced workers be re-employed through up-skilling or re-skilling their competencies. The agency was also seen at the forefront of creating small livelihood opportunities amid the high number of joblessness and the ongoing restructure of the labor market.
At the height of the COVID-19 last years, TESDA launched and intensified several projects catering to displaced workers, OFWs, indigenous peoples, and former rebels. It reached out to the impoverished communities with numerous programs initiated by its regional offices nationwide, varying from agriculture to construction-related and other tech-voc trainings. When the pandemic began, the agency was also on the foreground in producing and distributing face masks, face shields, protective body suits, sanitizers and disinfectants to uniformed personnel, health workers and other frontliners.
When other disasters such as the eruption of Taal Volcano and two strong typhoons hit the country last year, TESDA was also among the agencies that immediately extended help to the victims with short-term skills training, feeding programs, temporary shelters and other necessary aid.
In 2020, around 802,218 enrolled for the Technical and Vocational (TVET) training where 715, 158 individuals have graduated; 493,018 were assessed and 462,189 were certified.
The agency also intensified its TESDA Online Program (TOP). It was during the quarantine when the unprecedented number of enrollees took place. As of February 2021, the TESDA Online Program (TOP) has already 1,502, 364 enrollees where 831,364 have completed the program. Of this number, 97,952 OFW have enrolled and 36,588 have completed TOP courses.
Lapeña said TESDA remains steadfast in its duty to empower the Filipinos amidst the pandemic which is the toughest challenge that the country has faced so far. While the whole nation continues to fight the adversities of the raging pandemic, Lapeña vowed to strengthen TESDA’s advocacy of helping kababayans by reaching out to all sectors and making its services more accessible. TESDA shall continue enhancing its partnerships with private industries and other government agencies to improve its platform of empowering Filipinos as skilled individuals.
“I thank the Filipinos for their trust in the agency and recognizing what it is mandated to do. I assure the public that you can expect more from TESDA and we will continue delivering services despite the challenges and risks brought by the pandemic. It is during this most difficult time that we have to do more for the people,” said Lapeña. ###
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