GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has allocated an initial PHP50 million for the implementation this year of its training scholarships and student assistance programs in Region 12 or Soccksargen.
Rafael Abrogar II, TESDA-12 regional director, said Tuesday such figure comprises the first tranche of the funding approved by the TESDA central office for the region based on the agency’s reenacted budget.
“That will support 7,000 to 8,000 scholars all over Region 12,” he said in a media briefing in Koronadal City.
The official said the region’s allotment will later increase with the approval and adoption of the 2019 national budget.
TESDA provides technical-vocational scholarships through its flagship Private Education Student Financial Assistance and Training for Work Scholarship programs.
Its other programs are the expanded emergency massive skills training and the special skills training for indigenous peoples and former rebels.
Abrogar said they are closely monitoring the implementation of these scholarship programs to ensure that the recipients or scholars will properly benefit from them.
“The direction of TESDA is not just about giving scholarships but make sure that they will result to jobs and sustainable livelihood,” Abrogar said.
He said they have been conducting regular inspections and audits of their partner training centers and technical-vocational institutions.
The audit covers the assessment of the facilities of the training centers and whether actual skills trainings were conducted, he said.
Abrogar said they are also continuously evaluating the skills trainings offered by training centers to align them with the needs of industries in the region.
Citing a directive from the central office, he said the skills trainings should be “need-based” and respond to the required skills and job opportunities in the area.
“If a particular skill is already saturated in terms of available jobs, then that will no longer be offered. We will focus on those that could bring more jobs and livelihood opportunities,” he added.
