TESDA-ARMM’s technical vocational courses attract 23,000 trainees

COTABATO CITY (May 18, 2018) – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (TESDA-ARMM) has been helping in the advancement of skills and technical education of the region’s constituents by providing free technical vocational education and training (TVET).

Omarkhayyam Dalagan, director of TESDA-ARMM, said the authority has conducted a National TVET Enrolment Day on February 27-28 where more than 23,000 beneficiaries from the region signified their intentions in availing TESDA’s skills training courses.

Among the courses offered are Food Processing, Dressmaking, Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing, Computer System Servicing, Health Care Services, Motorcycle/Small Engine Servicing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and others.

Graduates will undergo Competency Assessment and Certification to determine whether they can perform within the standard expected in the workplace based on the defined competency benchmarks. Passers are then provided with a TESDA National Certificate.

In 2017, TESDA-ARMM has trained a total of 26,638 individuals and assessed 7,297 of whom 87.5% were certified as competent skilled workers. During the same year, a total of 11,153 scholarship slots were awarded by TESDA-ARMM amounting to over P81 million covering programs under the Training for Work Scholarship Program, Private Education Student Financial Assistance, and Skills Training for Employment Program.

Dir. Dalagan said TESDA’s services are not limited to providing skills training. “Kabilang rin sa core services natin ay ang Unified TVET Program Registration and Acceleration System (UTPRAS) kung saan nire-register natin ang mga institutions na gustong mag-offer ng technical vocational courses,” he said.

“Tinawag itong unified dahil what is applicable in other regions is also being implemented in ARMM,” he added. Under the UTPRAS, 70 new training programs were registered across the five provinces of the region.

Meanwhile, Dir. Dalagan said ARMM is promoting the Community-Based Training and Enterprise Development (CBTED), one of the TVET programs, especially for internally displaced persons in Saguiaran in Lanao del Sur. He said ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman has allocated P10 million for the implementation of the program for conflict-affected communities.

“Ang CBTED ay isang programa kung saan sasanayin natin ang isang tao at bibigyan ng pangangailangan niya tulad ng tool kits at maliit na puhunan, upang masimulan ang enterprise na kanyang napili,” Dir. Dalagan said. (Bureau of Public Information)