Tesda allots P50M for semiconductor train-for work program

MANILA, Philippines—The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has allocated P50 million to train almost 9,300 workers as it aims to provide manpower to the semiconductor and electronics industry.

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva said the agency has partnered with the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines in a train-for-work program that aims to readily provide employment to Tesda trainees.

He said some 9,295 individuals will be trained for free under the Training for Work Scholarship Program “to create a pool of qualified, globally-competitive and job-ready workforce” for industry, particularly for SEIPI, an organization of semiconductor and electronics firms operating in the country.

“Tesda will allocate the scholarship vouchers worth P50 million to SEIPI within the duration of the project. This augurs well for the government’s thrust of public-private partnership to augment limited government resources and share expertise in delivering services to the public,” Villanueva said.

Under the public-private partnership, some 6,250 new trainees will be trained as production workers while some 3,045 current workers will undergo skills and productivity enhancement training.

SEIPI would meanwhile readily provide employment for a sixth of the beneficiaries within six months to a year of their graduation.

The organization’s member firms will work together in identifying qualified beneficiaries, Tesda said.