TESDA provides skills training to 1,600 youths

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 1,600 youths have moved up the ladder from being out-of-school youths to full-fledged skilled graduates ready to take on jobs.

They came from among the country’s four poorest provinces, who were profiled, enrolled and given skills training under the Spanish-funded Millennium Development Goals Joint Program on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth Program.

The skills training component of the program is jointly implemented by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the International Labor Organization.

From the 2,000 youths selected from the provinces of Masbate, Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao, a total of 1,547 have been given on-the-job training and have graduated from their respective courses.

All of the 2,000 youth swho enrolled under the program completed their courses, but a few are awaiting formal graduation pending the completion of on-the-job training requirements.

Secretary Joel Villanueva expressed optimism their education could be put to good use with the right job.

“Joining the work force or being successful entrepreneurs will give these youth a confident grip on their future,” Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.

Jobs, in fact, came easy for a total of 397 graduates, who have found employment right after finishing their courses.

Of the 2,000 enrollees, Villanueva said they aimed to get at least 1,100 or 55 percent employed.

After graduation, the youths underwent competency assessment that determined if they would qualify to be certified specialists by TESDA.

Of the 1,547 graduates, 500 each came from Antique, Masbate and Agusan del Sur, while 47 came from Maguindanao. –(The Philippine Star)