26 May 2014
Assessment and certification procedures for graduates of technical vocational education and training (tech-voc) are now under closer scrutiny by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to make them more responsive to market needs.
TESDA directors and program implementers gathered on Monday(May 26) to review existing assessment and certification procedures manual, identify gaps, and determine what needs to be done to strengthen the process.
This was carried out through series of sessions which put in focus the role of the regional implementers in ensuring the enhancement of the system based on their experience, being the ones who know what employers want for workers.
After finishing a course, a graduate has to go through competency assessment, which focuses in evaluating his or her skills, knowledge, attitude and work values relative to the course taken.
The National Certificate is issued to a candidate who has hurdled the assessment procedure. Having a validity of five years, the NC becomes the graduate's most valuable qualification in applying for jobs.
Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA Director General, said that the agency has been certified under ISO 9001:2008 for the agency's assessment and certification system along with program registration and development of Training Regulations.
"Quality-assured implementation needs to be sustained, and continuous improvement mechanisms must be set in place," he said.
Villanueva noted the importance for TESDA to "uphold the integrity of the assessment and certification program to ensure that it is recognized by local and foreign employers."
The workshop provided the venue for consultation among policy makers and regional implementers on how to improve the assessment and certification procedures. They hope to come up with a revised procedures manual on assessment and certification, enhanced checklist for compliance audit, and reduced process cycle time for assessment and certification.
TESDA also organized a workshop on the Effective Deployment of the New and Amended Training Regulations last May 15.
The workshop was designed to equip the regional and provincial offices to effectively explain the contents of the said Training Regulations to applicant Technical Vocational Institutions, and to facilitate a more effective registration process.
"After going through updating and enhancement, our Training Regulations need to be deployed effectively to ensure that all technical vocational education and training programs offered by training institutions comply with the skills standards developed by TESDA," Villanueva said.
TESDA conducts regular compliance audits to check if the registered programs continue to maintain the quality of training delivery in terms of curriculum content, trainer's qualification, facilities and equipment, academic requirements and other support services.
Last year, a total of four new and 27 amended Training Regulations have been promulgated by the TESDA Board.
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