THE TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority continues to give skills training and livelihood programs to women to widen their employment opportunities.

“We consider women as priority clients when it comes to the provision of skills training. Through these programs, we reskill and upskill them to widen their employment opportunities here in the country,” TESDA Director General Danilo Cruz said.

The training for women includes non-traditional trades such as construction, welding, plumbing, and automotive servicing, among others.

“More than providing women with employable and marketable skills that build their capacities for wage and self-employment, our value-added training gives equal attention to the development of their character, so that the positive contributions of women to society are greatly enhanced,” the TESDA chief added.

Cruz explained that the agency’s continuing thrust will contribute to the goals and targets of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, including promoting entrepreneurship and economic opportunities for women and reducing the risks faced by other vulnerable groups.

TESDA’s 2021 Study on the Employment of TVET Graduates showed 78.81 percent or nearly 8 out of 10 female technical vocational graduates got employed. The figure is slightly higher than male graduates with 78.36 percent.

The TESDA Women’s Center said it has trained more than 9,500 Filipino women.