TESDA to hold free skill certification

MANILA, Philippines - To ensure that teachers of technology and livelihood education (TLE) possess the competency to teach under the K to 12 curriculum, the government is offering free assessment and certification tomorrow.

Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva said aside from TLE teachers, the agency will provide assessment and certification for skilled workers nationwide.

Villanueva said the synchronized competency assessment will be held at the TESDA women’s center in Taguig and other TESDA-accredited assessment centers nationwide.

According to Villanueva, they hope to provide the National TVET Competency Assessment and Certification (NATCAC) to 60,000 beneficiaries, including 21,000 TLE teachers by the end of 2015.

“We urge industry practitioners, K to 12 teachers and returning OFWs to take the assessment to see how they measure up to the needs and expectations of employers,”  Villanueva said.

The  national certificate is the best proof that a person is qualified for the job he is applying for, Villanueva said.

Thousands have already benefitted from TESDA’s free competency assessment and certification in the past years.

The July 2015 NATCAC will cover trainers of private and public technical vocational institutions, including local government units and other government agencies providing TVET programs and private enterprises with registered TVET programs.

Department of Education (DepEd) trainers, public utility vehicle drivers, workers and professional/career shifters may also undergo competency assessment as well as returning OFWs and Filipino expatriates with relevant experience.

Applicants may get forms and list of requirements for assessment from accredited assessment centers, TESDA offices or  the TESDA website, www.tesda.gov.ph.

The accredited assessment centers or TESDA provincial and district offices will process the application for assessment and inform the applicants of their schedule. 

For the past five years under the Aquino administration, Villanueva said TESDA has been able to fully groom Filipino workers for better employment options, a productive life and a better future.

The employment rate of TESDA scholars has risen significantly from only 28.5 percent in 2010 to 71.9 percent in 2014.

TESDA’s online program helps link more students to technical vocational education, allowing them to study at their own pace, at their own time, wherever they are.

Over half a million people are now using the TESDA online system, Villanueva said.