TESDA targets 60% employment for 1.2M graduates

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)aimed 60 percent employment rate for their 1.2 million graduates next year.

This as President Benigno Aquino III allocated P1.1 billion fund for training and scholarships in technical education.

“This is another option for our young people today.  There are great opportunities in technical education,” said Joel Villanueva, the director general of TESDA during the two-day Regional Skills Competitions (RSC) here.

He said they are not underestimating four year college education. Instead, they are just showcasing another career path for young Filipinos.

Villanueva said the P1.1 billion allocation will be used for trainings and scholarships in the business process outsourcing (BPO), tourism, semiconductor, agriculture and construction sectors.

In the BPO sector alone, he said 65,000 call centers agents, software developers, animators and health information officers will be trained.

“Good thing about the BPO sectors is that, 70 percent or 45,000 trainees will be automatically employed,” Villanueva said.

He also boasted that 80 percent of software developers that underwent training and certified by TESDA were immediately employed in the past year.

Aside from the said training programs, he said that TESDA is also closely coordinating with industry leaders for the development of new training regulations aimed at further improving skills of worker.

Villanueva said that new training programs are part of their preemptive attempt in preparation for possible impact of the anti-outsourcing law being pushed in the US Congress. –Dino Balabo,  Philippine Star