TESDA to assist incompetent techvoc schools meet standard

MANILA, Philippines - Instead of closing down, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has opted to extend a helping hand to technical vocational schools and institutions that failed to pass the Unified TVET Program and Accreditation System (UTPRAS).

“TESDA is more than willing to help them assess their programs, their courses and apply for accreditation so that they will pass the UTPRAS, which sets the standard,” TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said.

Villanueva explained that tech-voc schools and institutions need to secure accreditation of their programs and courses with TESDA through UTPRAS so that their graduates will be appropriately assessed and certified.

Employers usually ask skilled applicants for TESDA certification, which the agency gives only to students who graduated from TESDA accredited schools and institutions.

“There are cases when graduates of non-TESDA accredited schools or institutions attempt to apply for work abroad, and then the employer would ask for their TESDA certification. Subsequently, these graduates go to TESDA and ask for certification, but then we will find out that they graduated from a non-TESDA accredited school,” the TESDA chief explained.

“This only means that they failed because the kind of education they took was either totally wrong or lacking. So on our part, we offer our assistance to the schools and help them correct their mistakes or put in order their system,” he pointed out

Helping non-TESDA schools and institutions secure accreditation with the agency, Villanueva said, would hopefully transform the current situation of skills mismatch and low employment of technical vocational education and training (TVET) graduates in the country.

TESDA is conducting compliance audit of all tech-voc schools nationwide and so far six schools were found not complying with TESDA standards while two schools are facing closure proceedings for offering tech-voc courses even when they are not registered as tech-voc institution with TESDA.