IN an effort to uplift their lives, The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has given free skills training to 8,536 indigenous peoples (IPs) nationwide.
Of the total number of beneficiaries, Region 11 has the most number of trainees with 2,869 individuals who wanted to be equipped with the necessary skills that would qualify them for work.
In first place is the Caraga region with 1,669 IPs who got free skills training; Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 1,599; Region 12, 810; Regions 4A and 4B, 690; Region 1, with 343; Region 6, 194; Region 5, 173; Region 2, with 148; Region 10, with 25; and Region 8, with 16.
So far, the National Capital Region (NCR), the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Central Luzon and Region 9 have not enlisted any IPs for the free skills training under Tesda.
Among the courses which the IPs availed themselves of were haircutting services (COC); beauty-care services and nail care (NC II); bread making, leading to bread and pastry production (NC II); driving (NC II); hilot wellness massage (NC II); masonry (COC/NC II); carpentry (NC II); preparing and cooking hot meals, leading to cookery (NC II); shielded metal arc welding (NC I); and electrical installation and maintenance (NC II).
Tesda Director General, Secretary Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong said he expects the number of IPs who want to avail themselves of the free skills training to increase as they will not have the opportunity to work in the lowlands and use their skills.
Aside from IPs, other recipients of the free skills training from Tesda were 13,258 drug dependents; 3,366 jail inmates and their respective families; and 34,467 women from the marginalized sector.