A party-list lawmaker on Wednesday urged Filipinos, including returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to avail themselves of the free training and job opportunities offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz II, in a news statement, said Congress has set aside P3.9 billion for Filipinos who are not bachelor’s degree holders, and who may wish to acquire new skills under Tesda’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs.
TVET schooling provides knowledge and competencies for immediate employment by combining formal, nonformal and informal learning.
Bertiz said that by availing themselves of the government’s tuition-free TVET programs, Filipinos can secure higher-paying jobs, or even possibly put up a small business.
“Congress has set aside P3.9 billion this year so that Filipinos, including OFWs, who are not college graduates may freely enroll in state-run or accredited private TVET schools without having to pay for any tuition or miscellaneous fees,” Bertiz said.
“In the Tesda web site, returning OFWs can search for a new skill that they want to learn, and also find online the nearest school that offers the desired program for free,” he said.
Moreover, he said, zero tuition in TVET schools is part of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
“Actually, tuition and other fees are now free not just in state universities and colleges, but also in government-run TVET institutions and even Tesda-registered private schools,” Bertiz said.
The lawmaker said “high-value” TVET programs available for free to all Filipinos are: aircraft maintenance and technology; agricultural crops production; animal health care and management; animal production; animation and 3D animation; automotive servicing; bread and pastry production; computer systems servicing; cookery; dressmaking; electrical installation and maintenance; electronic products assembly and servicing; refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing; shielded metal and gas tungsten arc welding; and visual graphic design.
“We say high-value because there is great demand nowadays—both here and abroad—for human resources that can look after technical equipment or perform practical work for people skilled in the technique of a craft or art,” Bertiz said.
“TVET program completers can easily sell their skills to prospective employers, or better yet, use their proficiencies to establish small tax-exempt shops under the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Law,” Bertiz said.
Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas said technical vocational programs will bridge the gap between the skills of the Filipino work force and the jobs available in the country.
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