September 28, 2022
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has welcomed its transfer to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as its attached agency from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
TESDA Director General Danilo P. Cruz said the Agency’s return to DOLE serves as a great opportunity to synergize the strengths of both agencies which will eventually address the perennial problem of skills-job mismatch.
“The two agencies can work together to beef up and expand TESDA and DOLE's employment facilitation programs,” he said, adding that this will enhance TESDA’s implementation of its area-based and demand-driven TVET strategy.
DG Cruz, a former labor undersecretary, cited the signing of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 001 of TESDA and DOLE to facilitate the employment and training of victims of the magnitude 7 earthquake that affected most of Northern Luzon last July 27.
The TESDA chief also said that both agencies will intensify the implementation of DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program that provides emergency employment for displaced workers, underemployed and seasonal workers.
Likewise, the Apprenticeship Program of TESDA, part of its enterprise-based training “EBT to the Max” Program, will be strengthened with the transfer of TESDA back to DOLE.
The Apprenticeship Program is a training and employment program involving a contract between an apprentice and an employer that provides a mechanism to ensure the availability of qualified workers with the skills required by industries.
It may be recalled that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 5 which formalizes the transfer of TESDA to DOLE.
Under the EO, TESDA becomes attached to DOLE for policy and program coordination, as “it is the policy of the national government to rationalize the functional structures of agencies with complementary mandates and promote coordination, efficiency and organizational coherence in the bureaucracy.”
EO 5 also states that the Secretary of Labor and Employment shall be the Chairperson of the TESDA Board pursuant to Section 7 of the Republic Act No. 7796 or the TESDA Act of 1994.
Cruz also said the Agency is eyeing the integration of its Registry of Certified Workers, the Registry of Skills Priorities, and the PhilJobNet of DOLE.
“This is envisioned to become a centralized database where job-seekers can have access to the current skills map/priorities of employers for a seamless job matching process,” he said.
TESDA was originally an attached agency of DOLE but former President Rodrigo Duterte placed the agency under the supervision of the Cabinet secretary in 2016. In 2018, Duterte transferred the supervision of TESDA to the DTI. (30)
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