THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has stayed the course in providing technical vocational education and training, assessment and certification and other services to its customers.
In its accomplishment report covering January to October 2015, the agency announced that the TVET sector has enrolled a total of 1,645,418 trainees. Of these, a total of 1,502,656 finished their courses.
Tesda Director General Irene Isaac said the agency is on track in meeting its target enrollees of 2,185,221 and graduates of 1,966,699 until the end of the year as trainees continue to get into tech-voc courses in various accredited institutions nationwide.
Data on the assessment of graduates showed that as of October, a total of 1,097,909 have taken the skills assessment, of which 1,003,928 have been certified.
“The certification of graduates is not the end of Tesda services. Going the extra mile, we want to see them through their employment,” Isaac said.
Tesda is conducting an annual tracer study on the employment of tech-voc graduates. The most recent study shows that six out of 10 graduates get employed within six months to one year after completing their programs.
Isaac noted that employment in companies is not the only path for tech-voc graduates, but engaging in business or livelihood as well. This is the reason why the agency has introduced the Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) that aims to provide not only technical skills but also entrepreneurial acumen to enable graduates to start their own small businesses.
In addition to STEP, Tesda’s major scholarship programs include the Training for Work Scholarship Program and Private Education Student Financial Assistance.