Training, jobs galore as TESDA marks 19th anniversary

23 August 2013

With free livelihood training, career fair, skills demonstration, and a host of activities, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will live up to its billing as the country's prime mover of technical vocational education and training (TVET) as it celebrates its 19th anniversary.

The week-long celebration, which will commence on Monday, August 19, will gather together graduates, potential students, training providers and institutions, partner firms and TESDA officials and employees in various activities aimed at affirming their support to TVET and further promoting it, especially among the youth.

"TVET now takes the spotlight, not only because it will soon be incorporated into the new K to 12 curriculum, but because for some, it is the fastest route to gainful employment," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.

On Tuesday, August 20, a Career Fair will be opened to selected 3rd year and 4th year high schools students to help them explore their career pathway through TVET.  The students will also get a peek at the TESDA courses, and will learn which of these have high demand from key employment generating industries.

For its employees, there will be street dancing, thanksgiving mass, aerobics, health and wellness services, and balagtasan. Livelihood training will also be made available to give them the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

On Friday, August 23, Villanueva will lead in giving the institutional award to industry partners and TVET Idols in recognition of their valuable role in popularizing and making technical vocational education accessible to more people.

This will be followed by an awarding ceremony of outstanding TESDA employees, who are at the frontlines of the agency's day-to-day operations.

For the whole week of the celebration, guests will also be treated to skills demonstrations by TESDA graduates, photo gallery and a bazaar selling affordable items.

Some of the training institutions who will participate in the skills demonstration are: Animation (c/o Animation Council of the Philippines Inc.); Bartending (c/o GO TEC International Business School, Inc.); Barista (c/o WCU Development and Training Center); Fashion Design (c/oof Fashion and the Arts); Mechatronics, Bread and Pastry, Carpentry (c/o Jacobo Z. Gonzales School of Arts and Trades); Fruit Carving (c/o Concepcion Vocational School); Robotics (Alexan Commercial); Industrial Automation (c/o Microcontrol Design Technology Inc.); and, Organic Farming (c/o BARFARM Agro Ventures).