TESDA to hire more trainors/assessors as techvoc enrolment increases

MANILA, Philippines - The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is looking into the possibility of hiring 9,000 assessors and trainors to teach technical vocational courses for students under the K to 12 program. 

“It will be taking a huge toll on our trainors/assessors if 30 percent of 1.2 million of senior high school will go to TVET (technical and vocational education and training) track,” TESDA director general Joel Villanueva said.

 Villanueva said his agency needs to increase by half or double the number of their assessors in anticipation of the increase in the number of tech-voc students with the full implementation of the Senior High School (SHS) in 2016.

 TESDA currently has 9,679 assessors for 960,000 students nationwide. The present assessor-student ratio is 1:10,000, Villanueva added.

 Meanwhile, there are 21,000 trainors in TESDA-accredited institutions all over the country, according to the official.

 â€œThis (tech-voc) is already a career path. It will be sustainable because in the next few years we’ll see the influx of tech-voc students. It’s a viable career,” the TESDA chief said.

 Citing the results of the Department of Education’s National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) for SY 2006-2007, TESDA said 58.03 percent of the 1.3 graduating students have inclination towards entrepreneurship and in the areas of tech-voc education. Only 3.76 percent have the aptitude for college.

 TESDA said the total enrolment for the first batch of SHS students will reach 1.2 million in 2016 and 2.3 million in 2017.

 The agency projected a 5.5 percent increase in SHS enrollment from 2018 to 2020.

 TESDA is helping the DepEd in the development of curriculum for Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) and in TVET specialization track in the SHS.

 It also assists the DepEd in the development of curriculum in the arts and sports track. 

Under the K to 12 Basic Education Program law, children are required to enroll in kindergarten before they can begin six years of primary education. 

Two years will be added to the four-year high school curriculum.

 The additional two years will serve as a specialization period for senior high school students, whether in vocational skills, music, arts or sports.

 They will be prepared in middle-level skills development, entrepreneurship, employment and tertiary education.