TO BETTER serve people with disabilities, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority trained its personnel to help them create a more disability-inclusive and accessible technical vocational education and training programs.

The “Developing and Delivering an Inclusive and Accessible Technical-Vocational and Education and Training” was conducted in partnership with the International Labor Organization’s Skills for Prosperity Programme last September 20-22, 2023.

Thirty-seven personnel from the Central Office and regional offices attended the capacity development sessions held at the Gabriela Silang Hall of the TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City.

TESDA Director General Suharto Mangudadatu said TVET programs play a pivotal role in equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge needed for gainful employment and career advancement.

“The barriers to participation and success faced by persons with disabilities as well as other underrepresented groups still exist. This training program is designed to address these challenges directly and promote a more inclusive and accessible TVET landscape,” Mangudadatu said.

The three-day session tackled Understanding Inclusion and Marginalization, Accessible Learning Environment, Inclusive Training and Interaction, and Inclusive Policies and Programs, discussed by representatives from the Project Inclusion Network.

“Providing more quality training programs that address the needs of persons with disability can play a crucial role in reducing the marginalization they experience, and lessening the socio-economic effects of their exclusion from the labor market,” he added.

TESDA Deputy Director General for Special Concerns Vidal Villanueva III graced the opening ceremony of the capacity development sessions. Meanwhile, the closing rites were attended by the ILO’s Country Director, Khalid Hassan, and the British Embassy in Manila’s Head of Social and Economic Development, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Leonina Morillo.