04 July 2012
As businesses boom in the region, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) vowed to aggressively expand its stake on Central Luzon-based Freeport zones by ensuring a pool of highly-qualified and skilled workers.
TESDA sealed the pledge by signing various memorandum of agreement with the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Subic Bay Metropolitan Administration (SBMA) and the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB).
In what could be one of the biggest gatherings among industry partners, TESDA also inked separate agreements with 90 companies operating in the Freeport zones and 40 technical vocational education and training (TVET) for the delivery of the dual training system (DTS).
The DTS is a training modality that combines theoretical and practical training, as students are made to learn alternately in two venues – school and training center for the theoretical foundation and basic skills and the company for the hands on and actual work exposure.
Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA Director General, said that agreement with CDC, SBMA and AFAB covers the sharing and updating of labor market information such as job opportunities from companies, list of graduates of technical vocation institutions and list of certified workers.
“The MOA also formalizes our agreement to conduct industry studies to determine proper TVET interventions, and to help up in our policy-making work on skills prioritization, training, upgrading and re-tooling of workers,” Villanueva said.
“We want to expand our stake on businesses in the country’s growth corridors such as Freeport zones that can easily serve as catch basin of our graduates,” he added.
Under the agreement, TESDA and the industry locators in the three Freeport zones will regularly exchange information and updates on their programs.
TESDA will provide the list of technical and skills development (TESD) graduates, the registry of workers who have been assessed and certified, and relevant guidelines related to the DTS.
The Freeport zones in turn will give an up-to-date list of job vacancies or job opportunities, result of assessment and study about the manpower requirements of locators and comprehensive and up-to-date directory of Freeport locators, list of groups or associations among industry locators and relevant studies that TESDA can utilize in the planning of their programs.
“We hope this partnership with the industry players will serve as model to other regions for effective implementation and provision of TVET programs and services,” Villanueva said.
Following the MOA signing on July 4, Villanueva also graced the opening of the TESDA Jobs Fair in San Fernando, Pampanga where around 4,000 job-seekers and 100 local and overseas companies and recruitment agencies participated.
The Job Fair was organized in partnership with JobsDB, DOLE-III, Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, local government units through the Public Employment Service Office, Labor Departments of CDC, SBMA, AFAB and the City of Government of San Fernando.
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