Integration of TESDA courses to boost students' livelihood education skills

BANI, Pangasinan, Philippines — This town makes a first nationwide in the integration of some courses offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) subject of third and fourth year students starting this June.

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed Thursday among local government unit led by Mayor Marcelo Navarro Jr., Department of Education (DepEd) led by Dr. Joseph Lopez, education supervisor in charge of Technology and Livelihood, TESDA led by Provincial Director Manuel Wong and Dr. Elpidio Calixtro, district supervisor here.

Three public high schools, namely Bani National High School, Ranom Iloco National High School, Dacap Norte High School will be the pilot areas for this project.

Initial courses to be offered free to selected students based on family income and aptitude, about 50 to 100 of them in every participating school, are Food and Beverages, Baking and Pastry and Plumbing. Once they graduate, they will receive certificates from TESDA aside from their school diploma.

“We want to make a success story first so we start with limited number of participants,” Navarro said.

Wong said the graduates will be given a national certificate after they have passed the assessment test.

“This is a project to be implemented only in Bani. It is the initiative of the ever dynamic mayor and we in TESDA and DepEd saw its good intentions,” Wong said.

Lopez said the program is very timely to prepare the students for livelihood.

Navarro said the next MOA will be with the LGU, Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment with TESDA and DepEd for the employment and passports of the beneficiaries.

Teachers are now undergoing trainings in time for the start of the courses in June.

Once the project is successful, TESDA hopes other schools in other towns or cities would replicate them.

Meanwhile, Calixtro said this project “is a great leap on education geared toward the improvement of everyone concerned and it opens tremendous opportunities by developing young generations skillfully and economically.”