The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is implementing initiatives ensuring that technical vocational education and training (TVET) learners are ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as demand for digital skills are expected to increase under the new normal.
Rosalina Constantino, Executive Director of TESDA Planning Office, said the agency has started implementing relevant programs to help Filipinos adjust to the new normal through skills training and certification via “Oplan TESDA Abot Lahat: TVET Towards the New Normal” initiative.
“This Oplan also puts emphasis on sectors that should be prioritized to jumpstart national recovery such as agriculture to support food security, health to contribute to public safety, ICT (information communications technology) to minimize technological disruptions, and construction to revitalize the government’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program,” she said in an e-forum.
Constantino said it is currently in the structural phase or the third phase of the plan.
“We are already starting to put into practice new normal policies and programs pertaining to training delivery, assessment in certification, program legislation, among others,” she added.
Apart from this initiative, Constantino said the agency also has napped out the TVET PH 4IR framework which aims to develop Fourth Industrial Revolution learners equipped with not only technical skills but also essential socio-emotional skills.
“This is basically a response to the challenges brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and shows the steps you must take to maximize the opportunities brought by this phenomenon,” she said.
“This sums up the steps we must take to ensure TVET learners are Fourth Industrial Revolution-ready equipped with the necessary competencies needed to succeed now and in the future,” she added.
Meanwhile, Constantino said the Tulong Trabaho is the latest edition of TESDA scholarship programs seeking to reskill and upskill target beneficiaries, including employed workers in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“We have actually revisited the implementing guidelines in order to integrate the new normal arrangements in the implementation of Tulong Trabaho and in order to provide additional assistance to affected industries and displaced workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
Constantino said the coverage of programs under the Tulong Trabaho Fund shall include the industry-specific and area-based skills requirements proposed by companies, industry groups, and MSMEs.
“This allows the private sector to really have a say in determining what are the priority areas which need particular attention when it comes to training,” she added.