15 November 2014
Secretary Joel Villanueva, Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), called on workers and students seeking technical vocational (tech-voc) training to be more vigilant and check the legitimacy of schools and training center before enrolling.
TESDA issued the caution after the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ordered the closure of a training center found recruiting applicants for factory work in Japan and Korea.
RRR International Training Center Inc, located at DRT G27 Ground Floor, Plaza Cristina Building, Dolores, San Fernando City in Pampanga, was also not in the TESDA registry of tech-voc schools and training centers authorized to offer training programs.
POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac had advised applicants for jobs abroad to scrutinize the legal personality of training centers that promise employment for students after finishing their course. He added that training centers have no authority and license to recruit workers.
Villanueva echoed the advisory, stressing that only institutions with registered programs and issued Certificate of TVET Program Registration (CoPR) by TESDA are authorized to offer tech-voc programs. He also said that there are always available means for workers and students to verify if the tech-voc institutions are legitimate.
"TESDA regularly updates its website www.tesda.gov.ph to reflect the list of schools and institutions that are authorized by the agency," he said.
Villanueva said that students can also go to the TESDA offices near their area or call the agency hotline 887-7777 directly if they have misgivings about the training center.
"It is enraging to know how some unscrupulous people can prey on students who only want decent jobs to help their families," he said.
"I am certain they or their parents have worked hard to raise the fees for their training, thus it is upsetting to know that they are not getting the kind of education they paid for and they deserve," he added.
Villanueva said TESDA offers scholarships under the Training for Work Scholarship Program. He urged interested applicants to apply for scholarship that covers the training cost and assessment fee.
He also encouraged workers wanting to go abroad to undergo the competency assessment in TESDA-accredited assessment centers to receive a National Certificate. The certificate and their work experience are their best qualification to easily get a job, the TESDA chief added.
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