DUMAGUETE CITY, June 24 (PNA) -– Secretary Joel Villanueva of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Tuesday emphasized that their graduates have a choice whether to pursue their career in the country or abroad.
At a press conference, Sec. Villanueva responded to an observation that TESDA graduates tend to seek overseas employment after completion of their skills training rather than remain in the country.
He admitted that it is difficult to keep the TESDA-trained graduates here when employers in the country cannot compete with fat paychecks offered by foreign companies.
Villanueva cited a person who now works in Perth, Australia and earns as much as P225,000 a month.
That is difficult to match, and usually, Filipinos opt for overseas employment for greener pastures, Villanueva lamented.
It is also unfortunate that the government does not have a policy of not allowing TESDA graduates to seek employment abroad.
But, nevertheless, Villanueva explained that TESDA has been espousing that students have a choice to go to college or opt for a technical-vocational skills training which TESDA offers.
There are 20,000 programs at TESDA on tech-voc with 245 training regulations, Villanueva said.
Under its Special Training for Employment Program (STEP), TESDA gives out tool kits for those who train to become entrepreneurs, he explained.
What the TESDA is doing is to expand the choices of the people and empower them, and at the end of the day, it’s their choice, he went on to say.
TESDA, according to Sec. Villanueva, is kind of a unique government entity in that while it is part of the education sector and now also being involved in the K to 12 program implementation, it is also a certifying body like the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC).
While the PRC gives out certifications for professionals like lawyers and engineers, TESDA, meanwhile, is charged with certifying skilled workers, Villanueva said.
He encouraged the public to avail of the wide array of skills training being offered by TESDA, noting, that with the current trend, there is a high demand of skilled workers in the international market.
Sec. Villanueva was in Dumaguete to distribute scholarship vouchers to students and even members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) local chapter. (PNA)