TESDA Shares Plans to Step up Global Competitiveness During ASEAN Forum

The Technical Education System Development Authority (TESDA) is modifying its training regulations to comply with the International Standards.

This was revealed by TESDA Provincial Director Edwin Andoyo during the ASEAN forum convened by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) yesterday at Seasons Hotel here in San Jose.

Director Andoyo said that the change is necessary because of the advancing technology. He reiterated the need for the facilities of all Vocational-Technical (VocTech) schools in the country to be upgraded, to ensure that the Filipinos will have better chance of finding employment abroad.

The TESDA provincial director even cited his experience when all agency directors were sent to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore to benchmark their systems against our own. According to Andoyo, they were amazed with what they discovered in ITE.

“Ang mga makinang pinagaaralan nila ay puro brand new at bagong modelo, (the engines they were studying were brand new models)”, Andoyo said. In the Philippines VocTech schools offering automotive related courses uses 4k engines.

These engines started its production in the late 1970’s. The provincial director also said that the healthcare or care giving service course in ITE uses the medical simulation mannequin. This computer-controlled mannequin has many features of humans and is used to enhance the skills of the students.

Andoyo explained that an instructor, through the use of a computer, can simulate a scenario with the mannequin such as having a seizure or heart attack, to check how the students will respond to such situations. Currently, under the leadership of TESDA Director General Guiling Mamondiong, the agency is driven by two strategies. One is global competitiveness and the other is social equity. Andoyo explained that in global competitiveness, TESDA wants to provide highly skilled workers to other countries.

The agency with the help from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) facilitates search for countries in need of skilled workers and creates a program based on the requirements of these countries in their manpower and services.

The TESDA provincial director also explained that because of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) among ASEAN nations, instructors and teachers of different vocational and technical courses are required to have years of working experience in the field that they are about to teach.

This will sustain the quality of education the students will learn from any (voc-tech) school. (PIAMIMAROPA/VND/PIA-OccMin)