TESDA, partner agencies ink MOA for enhanced tech-voc training

August 31, 2023

As part of its 29th anniversary celebration, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESD) forged partnerships with other government agencies to better serve Filipinos, particularly those in the marginalized sector.

Last August 24, TESDA formalized its partnerships and signed Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Department of Tourism (DOT), National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), Department of Justice Parole and Probation Administration (DOJ-PPA) and Government Academe Industry Network, Inc. (GAIN).

TESDA Secretary Suharto T. Mangudadatu said that the partnership with various government agencies will increase the availability of accessible and innovative solutions, develop training arrangements that will best match industry requirements, and allocate additional resources for skills training.

“TESDA recognizes the active participation of various government agencies and stakeholders in technical education and skills development. For Filipinos to have a quality life and a better future, we will need to work together and invest more resources to continue enhancing the skills and knowledge of our citizens,” Secretary Mangudadatu said.

TESDA and CDC partnered for the establishment of the Regional TVET Innovation Center (RTIC) inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

The TESDA-DOT partnership seeks to develop a skilled and competent workforce ready for the demands of the tourism industry, and to provide Filipinos the opportunity to enjoy gainful employment and livelihood in the tourism sector.

Likewise, the TESDA-NCMF partnership aims to provide skills training to Muslim beneficiaries and promote Halal TVET by registration of training programs integrated with Halal principles.

Further, the TESDA-BJMP and TESDA-DOJ-PPA partnerships shall provide interventions through skills development by providing access to training for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), probationers, and parolees to uplift their economic status, help them generate livelihood opportunities, and facilitate reintegration in their respective communities.

Meanwhile, TESDA and PCG will provide training to the latter’s personnel on qualifications that are vital to the execution of PCG personnel’s jobs, and review and develop training programs on basic life support, search and rescue, and environmental protection.

On the other hand, TESDA and NCIP will provide skills training to the members of the indigenous communities to help uplift their economic status.

Also, TESDA has partnered with the GAIN for the establishment of a national target for English and digital proficiency, and other related subject areas to ensure global competitiveness of the Filipino graduates and workforce.

These partnerships are aligned with TESDA’s two-pronged strategic thrust of TVET for Global Competitiveness and Workforce Readiness and TVET for Social Equity and Poverty Reduction.

“These collaborations with you are symbolic because they not only bring our institutions together but they are also concrete actions towards the call of our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. to bring back jobs in the labor market, and enhance the skills of the local workforce,” the Secretary said.

Present during the MOA signing at SM Megamall were DOT Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Frasco, NCMF Secretary Guiling Mamondiong, PCG’s RADM Eustacio Nimrod Enriquez, Jr., BJMP Jail Director Ruel Rivera, NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan, DOJ-PPA OIC Administrator Bienvenido Benitez, Jr. and GAIN Chairman Peter Laurel.