TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority Deputy Director General for Operations Aniceto Bertiz III attended the K-STAR Partnership Program for Skills Development in South Korea as part of the agency’s drive to strengthen the country’s technical vocational education and training sector.

The event that allowed delegates to observe the Korean National Skills Competition and attend the Seminar on Skills Competition ran from August 26 to September 2.

Representatives from Laos, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Costa Rica were also present. The Human Resources Development Service of Korea hosted the event.

“I thank the HRDK for their kind invitation to South Korea’s National Skills Competition and the Seminar on Skills Development. I am optimistic for the continuous collaboration between HRDK and TESDA in creating new and innovative ideas for sustainable skills development for the better future of our communities,” Bertiz said during the seminar.

“We, from the Philippines, are very heartened and pleased to be part of this event. We are very enthusiastic to support skills excellence and express our collective commitment to further develop a brighter future in the industry,” he added.

The Korea National Skills Competition featured over 1,500 representatives competing in 53 different skill areas. The Philippines, through TESDA, is set to hold its 2022 Philippine National Skills Competition this November.

The opening ceremony for the 2022 Gyeongnam 57th Korean National Skills Competition was held at the Changwon Exhibition and Convention Center in Gyeongnam province. The actual venues for the “K-Skills Competition” were different stadiums in Changwon, Gimhae, Jinju, and Sancheon.

On August 31, the Philippine delegates attended the Seminar on Skills Competition where Dr. Youngil Cho, HRDK Project Manager and Skills Development Institute of Korea Executive Consultant, discussed the Skills Competition System in Korea.

Dr. Cho pointed out how the economic growth engine in his country has been and is currently being powered by skilled workers. Cho showed the correlation between the country’s participation in WorldSkills Competitions from the 1960s until 2021, and South Korea’s GDP’s rapid growth per capita during the period.