BAGUIO CITY — The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) enticed a total of 4,519 people to register in the agency’s four-day national Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) enrollment in Cordillera.
More than a fifth of the total number of enrollees, or 929, wanted to be certified farmers, specifically, on agricultural crop production, organic agriculture production, production of organic concoction and extracts, organic vegetable production, and organic Arabica coffee production.
The TVET enrollment was held last February 27-28 and April 5-6 in all the seven provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, namely, Kalinga, Abra, Apayao, Ifugao, Benguet, Mountain Province, and Baguio City.
TESDA Regional Director Efren Piñol noted that the number of enrollees wanting a certification in various types of agricultural production had doubled. “Maybe, they see a future in agricultural production, which is common in the Cordillera and they trust the TESDA program.”
Piñol said TESDA also supports agriculture through training and by collaborating with the Department of Agriculture (DA). “The DA is also giving focus on its programs in organic farming,” he said.
Piñol added TESDA is finalizing an agreement with the DA and the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) for the establishment of more farm schools. At present, there are already two organic farming schools accredited to provide organic agriculture production education, he said.
In an earlier visit to Baguio, TESDA Secretary Guiling Mamondiong said the TESDA scholarship is available to everyone.
He said as President Rodrigo Duterte wants to lift the economic state of marginalized Indigenous Peoples (IPs), TESDA had signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to give priority to IPs who want to be equipped with skills either for employment or for the establishment of business that would create more jobs.
Mamondiong assured that even people in far-flung communities would be able to avail of the government’s tech-voc scholarships through the barangays, which are TESDA’s partners in listing down prospective scholars.
He said TESDA is continuously establishing community tech-voc schools, aside from partnering with private institutions that the agency accredits to train TESDA scholars.
As part of the nationwide TESDA activity, the TVET enrollment in the Cordillera aimed to list down those interested in skills training offered by TESDA through a government scholarship grant and to eventually get a national certification for certain skills.
A national certification issued by the TESDA is recognized internationally as a document showing that the holder is skilled in a particular field.
During the enrollment in February, there were 4,029 who enrolled regionwide. There were 1,731 in Ifugao province, with personal computer (PC) operator as the top skill that enrollees want to be certified in, followed by driving.
There were 1,034 in Benguet and Baguio, with “hydraulic excavator” as the top skill the enrollees wanted to be certified in, followed by agricultural production – both organic and commercial. Benguet is host to three of the country’s major hydroelectric power plants and mining companies.
In Mountain Province, 628 enrolled, with bread and pastry production, driving, and bookkeeping as the top skills sought for national certification.
Kalinga had 504 enrollees, with also bread and pastry production and driving as the most-sought-after skills.
There were 119 in Abra, with cookery and driving as the most-desired skills.
Apayao also had driving as the top skill students wanted to learn under government scholarship.
On April 5 and 6, the TESDA also conducted a TVET enrollment for construction skills, getting 490 enrollees in this field. (Liza Agoot/PNA)
