Specialista Desk helps boost interest in tech-voc courses

FROM LEFT: Charles Bryan Uriarte, vice president, Bulacan Association of Technical Schools; Irving Wu, Robinsons Malls operations director for Luzon; Patrick Meneses, Bulacan mayor; Secretary Joel Villanueva; Enrico Roque, Pandi mayor; Joni Villanueva-Tugna, Villanueva’s sister and wife of Rep. Sherwin Tugna, and Marivee Coronel, San Miguel vice mayor

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has opened a Specialista Desk at the Lingkod Pinoy Center (LPC) of Robinsons Malolos in Bulacan province.

The help desk, the 16th to be opened by Tesda at Robinsons’ LPC, would provide information on Tesda programs and services, said Marta M. Hernandez, executive director of the Partnerships and Linkages and Public Information Offices. It will also give information on scholarships and their requirements.

The opening of Specialista Desks at LPCs is covered by a 2013 memorandum of agreement between Tesda and Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC).

Roseann Villegas, RLC director for corporate public relations, said the Specialista Desks were part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative. Tesda does not pay rent for the space.

Through the partnership, she said, RLC hoped to encourage Filipinos to pursue technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses for employment or enterprise.

Robinsons’ LPCs were usually visited by about 20 percent (15,000-20,000) of mall visitors daily, Villegas said.

DEMONSTRATIONS on Tesda courses in baking.

Hernandez said that while Tesda was conducting its own training, it was also collaborating with close to 4,500 tech-voc education and training institutions (TVIs) offering programs registered with the government agency.

“Tesda ensures compliance with the agency’s requirements by TVIs through a compliance audit a year after registration and every two years thereafter. Compliant schools and those delivering quality training are provided scholarship slots through the Training for Work Scholarship Pro- gram (TWSP). Tesda pays for the training and assessment fee of TVI scholars,” Hernandez said.

TWSP is a grants program designed to fill “skills gaps and job requirements of priority industries and sectors with high employability rate, improve the reach of quality technical-vocational education and training to the grassroots and encourage technical-vocational institutions to offer programs in higher qualifications catering to in-demand industry requirements.” The agency also provided capability-building for TVI trainers and assessors, Hernandez said.

As to complaints by some students that they had to pay tuition even for Tesda-accredited courses, as mentioned by Secretary Joel Villanueva, Tesda director general, during the launch of the Malolos Specialista Desk, Hernandez said non-Tesda scholars at TVIs, particularly the privately owned ones, had to pay school fees.

She pointed out that even scholars had to pay for incidental expenses like uniforms since Tesda grants primarily covered only tuition and other school fees.

Hairstyling

Hernandez said that even for Tesda-conducted training activities, participants had to pay a minimal fee to cover miscellaneous expenses.

The adoption of the K to 12 basic education curriculum is expected to make the Tesda Specialista Desks busier.

“Tesda will focus more on higher level qualifications but will also continue to offer lower-level programs to cater to the out-of-school youth, unemployed and those wanting to upgrade their skills,” Hernandez said.

Tesda was also developing diploma level programs, “the highest level in tech-voc,” she said.

Under the new K to 12 basic education program, tech-voc is one of four tracks senior high school students (Grades 11 to 12) can pursue.

Being the main government agency involved in and promoting tech-voc education, Tesda has a technical assistance agenda to support the development of a Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) curriculum guide, a teachers guide in General Secondary Education and learning modules.

The program currently focuses on 23 skills, ranging from automotive to beauty (nail) care services.

Tesda also “provided technical assistance” in the review of the entrepreneurship module for K to 12, as well as in the development of competency standards for the other tracks like arts

Massage therapy were given during the Specialista Desk launch.

and culture and sports. It is also involved in the capability-building of TLE teachers and in the training of Department of Education teachers and supervisors to enable them to be

Tesda-certified.

During the launch of the Robinsons Malolos Specialista Desk, Villanueva distributed scholarship vouchers amounting to about P8 million to six Bulacan municipalities, with each scholar getting P7,500.

Mall visitors, particularly students, were also given a demonstration of some Tesda-registered programs being offered by various schools in Bulacan, including massage therapy, hairdressing, baking and manicure/pedicure.

Participating schools were PhilComTech Balagtas, AMA Computer Learning Center of Malolos, Strong Link School of Technology, AMA Com- puter College of Malolos, Atec Technological College, Immaculate Conception International College of Arts and Technology, Liceo de Pulilan Colleges, St. Vincent Ferrer Montessori College of Asia, The Gabriel Institute, Headwaters College LTA Campus, Headwaters College Elizabeth Campus, SJDM Cornerstone College and Microlink Institute of Science and Technology.

According to Villegas, Tesda has plans to open Specialista Desks in Robinsons Malls in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan province, and in Ilocos Norte province.