LUCENA CITY, Philippines – Faced with the ever-increasing challenge of churning out quality and skilled workforce that can compete anywhere in the world, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) turned to one of its most important resources — trainers.
Gathering some 500 technical vocational education and training (TVET) trainers based in the National Capital Region, TESDA plotted how these front liners could better respond in terms of delivering the best education to the youth.
“It has become imperative to really map out the crucial role of our trainers in line with TESDA’s roadmap towards quality TVET,” TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said.
At the Trainers Congress organized by the TESDA-NCR and the NCR Alliance of TVET Schools, he also underscored the need to have more certified trainers to guarantee the delivery of quality TVET.
“In every classroom where students are excelling, there’s a trainer who empowers them to work hard to realize their potential,” Villanueva said.
“We can have the available technology, machines and equipment, but we cannot herald these all as the educational panacea while dismissing the indispensable role of trainers,” he added.
The need for quality trainers will play a key role as demand for skilled and competitive workforce increases with the continued integration of the economies of nations.
The vision should be aimed towards developing Filipinos as workers of the world, Villanueva said.
During the Trainers Congress, the participants were given an overview and the latest developments on the Philippine TVET Trainers Qualification Framework (PTTQF).
The PTTQF provides the competency standards for TVET trainers and assessors who are involved in the training delivery, competency assessment, training design/development and training supervision. It aims to qualify and certify the current pool of technical trainers-assessors to ensure their competence in trade qualification and training and assessment methodologies.
At the end of the Congress, participating trainers who are not holders of the National TVET Trainers Certificate (NTTC) were given the opportunity to avail of the scholarship vouchers to undergo the Training Methodology I (TMI) training for free.
TESDA-NCR will allot several slots for this under TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program.
Taking part in the Trainers Congress were Jose Gabriel Prats, president of the NCR Alliance of TVET Schools Association; Nenuca Tangonan, regional director of TESDA-NCR; Bernadette Herrera-Dy of the NCR Alliance of TVET Schools Association; Elmer Talavera, executive director NITESD-TESDA; and Maria Clara Ignacio, chief of the TESDA Women’s Center.
