THE DEPARTMENT of Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority have signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement to formalize and strengthen their collaboration in delivering high-quality technical-vocational education in Senior High School.

The agreement, signed by DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara and TESDA Director General Jose Francisco Benitez, seeks to quality-assure the enhanced Technical-Vocational track of the SHS program to ensure that Filipino graduates are work-ready and globally competitive.

“Our goal has always been to ensure that every Senior High School graduate is equipped not just with knowledge, but with real-world skills,” Angara said. “This partnership with TESDA is a critical step toward fulfilling that promise.”

Director General Benitez underscored TESDA’s key role in aligning education with labor market demands.

“TESDA’s role is to ensure that the skills being taught are the skills that industries actually need. By embedding our training regulations and certification processes directly into the Senior High School system, we are creating a seamless pathway for students from education to employment,” he said. “This collaboration carves the path for industries to have a steady pipeline of skilled talent ready to contribute from day one.”

The partnership directly addresses long-standing gaps between DepEd’s SHS programs and TESDA’s guidelines—a recurring concern raised by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).

The commission has repeatedly emphasized the need for alignment between the two agencies, along with increased funding for the assessment of SHS Technical-Vocational-Livelihood graduates.

According to the EDCOM 2 Year Two Report, while around 53.9% of SHS graduates pursue higher education, many immediately enter the workforce, particularly in private and informal sectors.

A 2023 Philippine Institute for Development Studies report also found that SHS graduates tend to earn higher wages and are more likely to land middle-skill jobs compared to Junior High School completers.

Under the new MOA, the two agencies commit to aligning institutional processes, resources, and standards to ensure that Tech-Voc programs comply with TESDA’s official Training Regulations. DepEd teachers delivering TVET programs must also possess the necessary competencies and certifications.

DepEd will identify and endorse SHS Tech-Voc teachers for TESDA’s Trainers Methodology I programs and ensure that learners undergo assessment for national certification. The department will also work with TESDA in developing learning materials and monitoring curriculum implementation.

TESDA, in turn, will provide flexible access to training courses for teachers—both online and in-person—and deliver technical assistance to align DepEd’s curricula with its industry-based standards.

Both agencies will conduct joint monitoring of SHS Tech-Voc programs in DepEd schools and map technical-vocational institutions nationwide to strategically expand the Joint Delivery Voucher Program, giving students access to a broader range of TVET electives.