TESDA Enhancing 1.7 Million TVET Filipinos Skills & Competencies 2013

Close to 300,000 out-of-school youth as well as unemployed graduates benefits from the Jobs Bridging and Internship Program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which set up 1,628 "Help Desks" nationwide. From January 2013 to November this year, 281,666 jobseekers assisted by the desks were hired, through referrals and job matching.

Through its jobs bridging event held in the regions, TESDA has helped to bridge the hiring gap for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates. Close to 1.7 million Filipinos are enrolled in various TVET programs in institutions, enterprises, and communities. Of these, about 1.5 million graduated. Of the 935,230 individuals assessed, 803,350 or 86 percent were certified. TESDA has a network of over 4,000 public and private institutions.

TESDA's Specialistas Technopreneurship Program (TSTP) assists unemployed TVET graduates find sustenance through entrepreneurial activity. Under the program, TVET graduates are formed into "TESDA Specialistas" who are on-call to provide skilled services-for-fee to community households, such as building/house repair and maintenance, beauty care and wellness, appliance repair, automotive/vehicle maintenance, tourism and health related, and computer hardware. TESDA also implements enterprise-based programs, such as "Kasanayan at Hanapbuhay" program which produced 69,192 graduates this year.

Technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses are becoming popular among young Filipinos. Public schools and government centers offer tech-voc courses for them as well as adults who may wish to acquire skills and technical knowhow. The government is encouraging sectoral participation in developing the potentials of the country's human resources. Popular courses for men are computer technology, cellphone repair, auto mechanic, electrical installation and maintenance, construction painting, masonry, heavy equipment servicing, and carpentry, while women prefer caregiving, dressmaking, beadmaking, culinary art, cosmetology, reflexology, and food technology.

We congratulate Department of Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Joel J. Villanueva, all the best and success in their cooperative efforts to provide relevant vocational-technical training for Filipinos.

Manila Bulletin 

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Japan FM to visit Philippines for Coast Guard Ships in Spartlys

Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida 

Kyodo reported yesterday as Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida lining up visit to Philippines to meet his counterpart Foreign Secretary del Rosario.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida plans to go to the Philippines in his first overseas trip as a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet, government sources said.

His visit, which could begin as early as Wednesday, has been arranged as part of Abe's efforts to strengthen Japan's ties with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a time when China is asserting its territorial and other claims in the region with increasing forcefulness.

Kishida is expected to discuss bilateral cooperation on maritime security, including the possible provision of coast guard vessels, with his Philippine counterpart, Alberto del Rosario.

The two are also likely to discuss strengthening a regional network of countries calling for the observance of international rules, including free passage in sea lanes, in the face of China's growing military and diplomatic clout in the East and South China seas.

The Abe administration, which was launched in late December after the Liberal Democratic Party won the Dec. 16 general election, embraces Japan's alliance with the U.S. as the cornerstone of its foreign policy.

At the same time, however, one of its central strategies is to boost Japan's leverage with China by strengthening security and energy cooperation, among other areas, with countries in Southeast Asia. It is also eager to forge closer ties with such countries as India and Australia.

Meanwhile, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the foundation of exchanges between Tokyo and ASEAN, with preparations under way to hold a special summit of the heads of the regional bloc's 10 member countries — the first event of its kind in a decade — in Japan this December. Kishida is expected to help smooth arrangements for the gathering during his visit to the Philippines. (http://is.gd/kCUy78)

Kyodo

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