GUIDED by its “TESDA Abot Lahat” policy, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has trained more Filipinos especially those who are living in far-flung areas, Director General Isidro Lapeña said.

From 2016 up to April 2022, 11,609,297 Filipinos have enrolled in various TESDA courses and 10,775,147 of them finished their respective courses. Further, 7,798,474 were assessed and 7,241,944 were certified as skilled workers.

Lapeña boasted of the high employment rate of tech-voc graduates for the past six years. Based on TESDA’s Study on the Employment of TVET Graduates, the employment rates were 71.87 percent in 2017; 68.58 percent in 2018 and 84.15 percent in 2019.

Despite the pandemic, the employment rate of TVET graduates rose to 78.57 percent in 2021 compared to 70.51 percent in 2020.

Lapeña said that the TESDA Online Program was strengthened amid the pandemic. The TOP received 3,230,483 registrants and 3,634,287 enrollees from 2016 up to April 2022. Currently, there are 141 courses available in Healthcare, Tourism, 21st Century Skills, Electrical and Electronics, Entrepreneurship and Agriculture among others.

“Over the years, the men and women of TESDA worked with such dedication to ensure that we perform our mandate – to provide relevant, accessible, high quality, and efficient technical education and skills development to the Filipino people, not just during ordinary days, but even during the most difficult times,” Lapeña said during the Duterte Legacy Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City last May 31.

He shared that TESDA established additional training and innovation centers to provide more skills training and livelihood programs to Filipinos. During the Duterte administration, the agency set up 63 additional training centers in various provinces.

It was during this time that the first Regional Training Center in the National Capital Region was established.

Likewise, TESDA also started the construction of Regional TVET Innovation Centers nationwide. These RTICs are equipped with supplies and materials suited for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0).

TESDA, as chair of the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, has reached out to far-flung communities to empower residents through livelihood and other skills training.

Lapeña said that the TESDA served 822 “priority” barangays. Most of these are in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

He cited the Project TALA (TESDA Alay ay Liwanag at Asenso) in Region XII as among the noteworthy interventions the agency has provided in remote communities. Through the project, training on photovoltaic system installation, bulbs and solar panels were given for the benefit of indigenous people in Region XII.