THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority conducted a forum for local government focal persons to cascade grassroots training under the “TESDA sa Barangay” program in Davao Region.

Last April 30, TESDA Deputy Director General Vidal Villanueva III, representing TESDA Director General, Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu, graced the program entitled “Dialogue with Local Chief Executives and Community Training and Employment Coordinators on ‘TESDA Sa Barangay,’” at Dusit Thani Hotel, Lanang, Davao City.

TESDA Sa Barangay is the flagship program of Secretary Mangudadatu with the primary objective of bringing the services of the agency to the barangay level.

In a statement, Secretary Mangudadatu lauded the TESDA Region XI for actively engaging with LGUs to make TVET accessible to Filipinos especially those in the far-flung areas, and emphasized the critical role of LGUs in training delivery.

“Local governments are TESDA’s partners in making TVET more accessible to Filipinos. TESDA cannot do it alone and LGUs must invest in tech-voc to make the country’s workforce multi-skilled and job-ready,” the TESDA chief said.

The Davao forum brought together key stakeholders, including local chief executives and Community Training and Employment Coordinators from different LGUs, to discuss the operationalization of the program and address related concerns.

During the event, participants gained a comprehensive overview of the TESDA Sa Barangay program, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of LGUs, CTECs, and other stakeholders. Best practices and lessons learned from successful TESDA Sa Barangay initiatives, including creating the Panabo City TESD Committee and LGU-run Training and Assessment Centers, were also shared and discussed.

The CTECs play a key role as the TVET advocate and local catalysts between TESDA and the LGU in responding to the local skills needs and serve as essential conduits for technical education and training in the locality.

The operationalization of the TESDA sa Barangay is one of the agency’s strategies to promote and communicate the value of skills training and lifelong learning to encourage LGUs to invest in the TVET sector through the conduct of training programs on lower-level qualifications, such as those with National Certificate levels I and II, for the benefit of their constituents in their locality.

TESDA will offer more diploma programs or higher-level TVET qualifications once LGUs offer lower-level qualifications.