08 April 2011
More workers, students and returning overseas Filipino workers totaling to 13,368 have joined the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority's (TESDA) pool of specialists after they received certification from the agency last week.
The new batch of TESDA Specialistas got the title Certified Filipino Workers (Sertipikadong Pinoy) after undergoing TESDA's free assessment held from March 28 to April 2.
TESDA gave the certification after testing their skills in various qualifications under the program called the NATCAC or the National Technical Vocational Education Training Competency Assessment and Certification.
The first NATCAC was supposed to run only from March 28 to April 1, but was extended to April 2 to some areas to accommodate more applicants.
A total of 22,273 workers had been assessed by the agency during the event. The number exceeded its target of 20,000 participants for the first of a 3-part series of the NATCAC for this year.
“This shows that more and more students and workers are turning to the technical-vocational education as an alternative stream to getting employment,” said TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva.
Villanueva said the certification serves as the workers' seal of excellence in boosting their chances of finding jobs in the country or abroad.
“We hope that our OFWs and tech-voc graduates are encouraged by the number of workers who got the certification, and who have now joined TESDA’s pool of specialists. They will soon find out that tech-voc education can also be a reliable path to well-paid and rewarding work,” he said.
“We need to provide an educational alternative that will offer more practical training to help our workers hone their skills and eventually land in a picky job market,” he added.
Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), OFW dependents, skilled workers, trainers and students took part in the assessment and certification program, which offered qualifications in various fields such as programming, computer hardware servicing, housekeeping, health care service, bread and pastry production, driving, and animation.
Of the 13,368 who got the certification, a total of 294 were returning OFWs; 3,518 were workers; 363 were OFW dependents; and, 7,386 were trainees and students.
The top five regions that has the most number of certified workers were Region VIII with 1,589; Region VII with 1,511, Region IV-A with 1,407; Region XI with 1,215; and, Region I with 934.
This was followed by Region III with 906; Region X with 887; Cordillera Autonomous Region with 882; Region VI with 718, Region IX with 574; CARAGA with 548; Region IV-B with 516; Region II with 480; Region XII with 459; National Capital Region with 360; Region V with 304; and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 78.
Among the courses which had the most certified workers were for Computer Hardware Servicing NC II, Food and Beverage Services NC II, Housekeeping NC II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II, Automotive Servicing NC II, Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC II, Bread and Pastry Production NC II, and Driving NC II.
Buoyed by the success of the TESDA’s launch of the assessment and certification, Villanueva urged more participants in the next NATCAC scheduled in June and October this year.
"Finishing a course is not enough. Undergoing the competency assessment and getting the certification is moving a step up in the ladder of success," he said.
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