100% Employment for Filipino with Technical Skills Training

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) said that graduates of vocational courses or those with technical skills training have 100% employment here in the Philippines and overseas, primarily because of their tested expertise and industry.

“Compared to graduates of courses for white collar jobs, graduates of vocational courses have 100 percent employment rate. Their skills are in demand in both local industries and job openings abroad,” TESDA regional director Augusto Capio explained.

The TESDA is pushing technical skills training due to high cost of education nowadays since studying vocational courses will train and help Filipino a skill to earn a living. After taking the course, TESDA will assessed the skills earned by the graduates then, they will be given government accreditation that will serve as trade test for overseas job and also civil service eligibility in the government service.

Few months ago, five trainers from TESDA flew to Busan, Korea for two months training as part of the partnership agreement between TESDA Zambales, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company to set up a skills training center at Subic, Zambales to meet the workforce need for Hanjin. They took up training in Welding, Ship Fitting and Painting. Their expenses such as airfare, accommodation, meals, incidental expenses, monthly allowance were shouldered by HHIC, Philippines during their stint in Korea.

After their training they will serve as training assistant in the training center for 3 years. This venture aimed at constructing ship building facilities, developed highly skilled workers, and going to the direction of becoming one of the world ship builders.

So far, workers with expertise in the field of automotive, carpentry, masonry, welding, refrigeration and technical electricity, driving, painting, plumbing, vulcanizing and computer repairs rank as top in the list of most employed skilled workers.

Capio said that information technology (IT) is alongside of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s emphasis. The government has emphasized the training of youths on skills needed by the growing industries of the country as well as those in foreign countries.

This article was first published in www.ofwguide.com on January 23, 2007