The Philippine Technical Vocational Education and Training

(TVET) System

DR. AUGUSTO BOBOY SYJUCO

Secretary and Director General: Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
[email protected]

I. INTRODUCTION

a. The Philippine Education and Training System

The education system in the Philippines embraces formal and non-formal education. It is
closely related to the American mode of education but differs in the school years as other
countries have 12 years basic education. In the country however, elementary education is
composed of 6 years and secondary education is 4 years which together with the tertiary
education comprise the formal education system.

On the other hand, non-formal education includes education opportunities, even outside
school premises, that facilitate achievement of specific learning objectives for clienteles,
especially the out-of-school youths or adult illiterates who cannot avail of formal education.
An example is functional literacy programmes for non-literate and semi-literate adults which
integrate basic literacy with livelihood skills training.

i. The Congressional Commission on Education

The Congress enacted in 1990 Joint Resolution No. 2 creating the Congressional Commission
of Education or EDCOM to review and assess the education and manpower training system
of the country inclusive of formal and non-formal education system in both public and
private.

The EDCOM concluded that the different levels/categories of education should be managed
separately so that the specific needs of each category can be identified and well attended to
for effective and efficient implementation of. Thus, the trifocalization of the management of
the country’s educational system paved way for the following changes:

Basic Education was subsequently changed to Department of Education (DepEd)

through the passage of RA 9155 or Governance of Basic Education Act on August 2001.

Technical-Vocational Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

became the jurisdiction of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
as legally mandated through RA 7796 otherwise known as the TESDA Act which was signed
into law on August 25, 1994; and

Higher Education involving tertiary education in community colleges, universities

and specialized colleges became the domain of the (CHED) Commission on Higher
Education which was established through the enactment of RA 7722 or Higher Education Act
on May 18, 1994.
 ii. TVET in the Philippines

At present, TVET provides education and training opportunities to prepare students and other
clients for employment. It also addresses the skills training requirements of those who are
already in the labor market and would need to upgrade on develop new competencies to
enhance employability and improve productivity.

1. TVET Clientele

A report from DepEd on the typical progression of pupils indicates a huge market that needs
TVET. Out of 100 pupils entering Grade I, only 66 will graduate from Grade 6. Out of the 66
elementary graduates, 58 will enter first year, 43 will graduate from high school and the
remaining 15 will join the ranks pf out-of-school youths. Out of the 43 high school graduates,
23 will enroll in 1st year college, 10 will get tech-voc education and 10 will drop out.

The potential clientele of TVET includes primarily the high school graduates, secondary
school leavers, college undergraduates and graduates who want to acquire competencies in
different occupational fields. Other potential clientele of TVET are the unemployed persons
who are actively looking for work. These include the displaced workers who lost their jobs
because of closure of establishments, retrenchment, or laying-off of workers due to economic
and other related reasons. Returning overseas Filipino workers who decide to discontinue
working abroad are also clients of TVET as well as those currently employed who want to
upgrade their skills or acquire new skills.

2. The Delivery Modes

There are four basic modes of training delivery. In the year 2005, 24.68% of TVET graduates
came from the formal school-based programs, 4.82% was contributed by center-based non-
formal training programs leading to livelihood and self-employment opportunities and
enterprise-based programs like apprenticeship, learnership and dual training programs
contributed a 7.5% to the total annual output. Other government agencies conducting mostly
community-based programs contributed 22% to the output.
 3. TVET Delivery Networks

The training and development of the Filipino workforce for skilled employment is provided
mostly by the private TVET institutions. There are 4,510 TVET providers in the country
today, 62% (2,786) of which are private and 38% (1,714) are public. The public TVET
providers include the 121 TESDA Technology Institutes composed of 57 schools, 15
Regional Training Centers, 45 Provincial Training Centers and 4 Specialized Training
Centers. Other public TVET Providers include State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and
local colleges offering non-degree programs; DepEd supervised schools, LGUs, and other
government agencies providing skills training programs.

b. TESDA as the Authority in TVET

i. Mandate and Core Business

“TESDA is mandated to provide relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical
education and skills development in support of the development of high quality Filipino
middle level manpower responsive to and in accordance with the Philippine
development goals and priorities.”

Given its mandate, TESDA envisions to be the leading partner in the development of the
Filipino workforce with world-class competence and positive work values. Its mission on the
other hand is to provide direction, policies, programs and standards towards quality technical
education and skills development. TESDA has also a quality policy which states that, “We
measure our worth by the satisfaction of the customers we serve.”

To facilitate the delivery of its mandate, TESDA defines its Core Business which is
comprised of three planks: Direction Setting, Standard Setting, and Support to TVET
Provision.
The core business defined further TESDA’s role as authority, enabler, manager, and promoter
of TVET which primarily involves ensuring sufficient provision of skilled workers and
technicians to meet international work standards as well as the needs of local enterprises and
ensuring access to technical education for the greater majority of the Filipinos.

ii. Structure

TESDA is composed of the Board of the Secretariat. Together, they constitute

TESDA as an authority. The TESDA Board is the highest TVET policy-making
body represented by public-private partners that work together for the benefit of
its constituents. The Secretariat serves as its technical and administrative support.

 The Board

The TESDA Board is responsible for the promulgation of continuing,

coordinated and fully integrated technical education and skills
development policies, plans and programs. The Board now has twenty (20)
members. Majority (15) comes from the private sector: seven (7) from
employers and industry, six (6) from labor and two (2) from private
technical vocational institutions. Eight (8) government departments
represent areas related to technical education and skills development,
namely, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) which sits at the
chair of the Board, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Commission on Higher
Education (CHED), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of
Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
 The Secretariat

The TESDA Secretariat is the development and implementing arm of the

Authority. It is headed by a Director General (with a Cabinet rank) who
exercises general supervision and control over TESDA’s technical and
administrative personnel.

Assisting the Director General are two Deputy Directors General – one
responsible for field operations and one responsible for policy and
planning. The Chief of Services for Administration assists the Director
General in the area of finance and administration. The functions of the
Secretariat are being undertaken by eight (8) Executive Offices each
headed by an Executive Director, namely: Planning Office, Qualifications
and Standards Office, Regional Coordination Office, Office of TESDA
Institutions, TVET Systems Development Office, Corporate Affairs
Office, Office of TESDA Institutions, TVET Systems Development
Office, Corporate Affairs Office, Competency Assessment and
Certification Office and Office of the Chief Services for Administration.
There are 17 Regional, 85 Provincial and 6 District Offices each headed by
a Regional Director and a Provincial/District Director, respectively. In
addition, there are 15 Regional and 45 Provincial Training Centers and 57
TESDA-administered schools and three (3) specialized training centers,
namely, TESDA Women’s Center (TWC), Kor-Phil Quezon City and
National TVET Trainer’s Academy (NTTA).

TESDA has a manpower complement of 4,278 personnel spread out from

the central office to the various regions of the country.
 II. NATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
PLAN (NTESDP)

a. Major gains from the First Cycle NTESDP

Part of TESDA’s major functions as the overall manager of the TVET sector is the
formulation of a TESDA has been implementing scholarship and other student financial
assistance programs such as the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA).
Efforts towards mainstreaming TVET at the local level to assist the local government units in
the provision of more training opportunities to their constituents are also undertaken. While
significant gains were noted, the overall assessment of the Plan implementation also points
out some areas of gaps which need to be addressed. All these provided the background on
which the 2nd Cycle NTESDP was crafted in 2005.

b. The Second Cycle NTESDP 2005-2009

i. Plan Framework

 Development Objectives

Decent and Productive Employment

This means that sufficient productive employment is available, and workers

have full access to income earning opportunities. Essential to decent
employment is a continuous enhancement of competencies through building
up of capabilities for skills training on global competitiveness and positive
work ethics. Industry shall support this process by pursuing their institutional
human resources development programs for their workers.
Quality TVET Provision

Standards on systems, processes and procedures among TVET providers will

be applied accordingly to ensure quality graduates/workforce.

Supply Matches Demand

The provision of training programs will be guided by adequate and timely

labor market information, both in terms of quantity and quality set by
industries, especially in critical occupations and in areas where there is high
demand.

 Key result areas

Envisioning a globally competent Filipino workforce, the 2nd Cycle NTESDP

commits for improved access and equity in TVET, improved assessment and
certification, and enhanced employability of TVET graduates.

Improved Access and Equity in TVET

Opportunities shall be made available and affordable for all clients to include
but not limited to special clientele groups like women, differently-abled
persons, and indigenous people, among others. Relevant and timely
information on training opportunities will be made available for prospective
beneficiaries.

Improved Assessment and Certification

There shall be an increased number of TVET graduates with verified/validated
competence to perform a particular skill according to quality standards defined
by industry. Moreover, the registry of certified job-ready TVET graduates is
readily available to prospective employers, both for local and overseas
employment.

Enhanced Employability of TVET Graduates

This is the environment where TVET graduates have improved access to

employment domestic and overseas. Graduates will also have improved
prospects for entrepreneurial and self-employment endeavors.

ii. The Seek-Find-Train Paradigm

The NTESDP takes as one of its major strategies, the pro-active skills
matching process called Seek-Find-Train which involves three key
components: i) SEEK local business opportunities, and jobs through domestic
and international labor market intelligence to pinpoint the exact requirements
of the job market, ii) FIND the right people fit for the jobs, and iii) TRAIN
the right people for the available jobs using quality standards developed in
consultation with industry. Programs and support services shall be provided
such that the education and training sector effectively contributes to putting
people to work and keeping them employed, either wage-employed or self-
employed.
 This paradigm becomes more meaningful and strategic through the Youth
Profiling for Starring Careers (YP4SC) program, a complete guidance
delivery system to help young Filipinos make the right career choices based on
an objective assessment of their strengths and interests which provide the
information on what work will place them in a “starring role”. This
information is coupled with updates on what job and employment
opportunities are and will be in demand; and information on education and
training choices where the job can be learned. In the end, the students and
parents are equipped adequately in making the right career decision.
Ultimately, it will lead to a greater job fit and greater value to education
and training.

iii. NTESDP vis-à-vis the National Development Plan and TESDA

Corporate Plan, HRD Plan and QMS Plan

The NTESDP lends very strong support to the Medium-Term Philippine

Development Plan 2005-2010 particularly in terms of ensuring the availability
and quality of skilled manpower especially in the identified priority sectors of
the country. The NTESDP provides the overall direction for the TVET sector
in general and for TESDA as the manager of the sector. The critical role of
TESDA in ensuring that the goals and targets of the NTESDP are achieved is
amplified in the TESDA Corporate Plan. The TESDA Corplan spells out the
major strategies and programs of TESDA to strengthen its capacity in the
management of the TVET sector. Among the strategies is the continuous
capability building of TESDAns from both the executive/managerial and staff
levels through further education and training and other forms of capability
building. The Quality Management System (QMS) Plan provides the platform
by which all programs and activities must be implemented thus ensuring
program implementation within the context of a quality system.

III. TVET QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS

 All efforts and programs of TESDA for the TVET sector are designed and implemented
within the context of a quality-assured TVET system. This is to ensure that TVET
produces job-ready Filipino workers meeting the requirements of the labor markets at the
local and international grounds.

a. The Philippine National Qualifications Framework

The PNQF has been developed to establish a coherent national and internationally
benchmarked structure for all qualifications awarded in the Philippines. The PNQF covers all
levels of formal education from the completion of the high school diploma; to certificates for
initial entry to the workplace through to doctoral degrees. All qualifications listed on the
PNQF are quality assured so that there may be national and international confidence not only
in their academic and skill standards, and their vocational relevance, but also in the quality of
teaching, assessment, and the valid awarding of the officially recognized Philippine national
qualification.

 Philippine TVET Qualifications Framework

As a signatory to the Regional Model Competency Standards (RMCS) of the International

Labor Organizations, the country has established a national framework for the TVET sector.
The Philippines TVET Qualifications Framework (PTQF) was formally established in 2003
defining four qualification levels.

b. Training Regulations

The Training Regulations (TRs) are being developed in consultation with industry leaders
and promulgated by the TESDA Board. The training regulations consist of the competency
standards, training standards and assessment and certification arrangements. They serve as
the bases for the development of curriculum and instructional materials and competency
assessment packages for competency-based technical education and skills development. They
spell out the over-all parameters by which programs are qualified and registered. The
development of TRs takes into consideration four (4) essential components of training
delivery: the curriculum, the qualification of trainers, the tools and available equipment and
training facilities. Currently, there are 72 Training Regulations promulgated and rolled out
for adoption by the TVET providers. Sixty-two (62) Training Regulations are for
development in 2006.
 c. The Unified TVET Programs Registration and Accreditation System
(UTPRAS)

The Unified TVET Programs Registration and Accreditation System (UTPRAS) is a

regulatory mechanism by which TVET programs are quality-assured by TESDA. All
providers offering TVET programs are mandated to comply with the set of standards for
TVET provision. This process involves compulsory registration of programs in compliance
with the standards prescribed in TR and competency-based system; and voluntary
accreditation. As of December 2005, there were already 13,098 programs registered
nationwide.

d. Assessment and Certification System

Assessment and certification system are among the essential quality assurance mechanisms in
TVET. It is the process of evaluating the TVET graduates and skilled workers if they have
the necessary competence to perform the tasks to the required standards in the workplace.
This mechanism provides the evidence whether compliance to standards and competency
requirements have been achieved.
The assessment and certification system involves over-arching components such as the
accreditation of assessors, development of assessment tools as essential part of training
packages, qualification of TVET trainers as assessors, recognition/accreditation of National
Assessment Boards across various sectors, among others.

All programs with training regulations are provided with competency assessment tools
specifically designed to measure the effectiveness of training delivery. These tools consist of
1) self-assessment guide, 2) assessment agreement, 3) written examination, 4) assessor’s
guide and 5) marking sheets.

Efforts are continually being done to effect assessment by sectoral boards from the private
sector. Formal agreements are entered into by TESDA with industry associations to empower
them to manage the competency assessment processes in their own sphere of influence.
Currently, organization of National Assessment Boards is being pilot tested in the area of
tourism services, community and health services, information and communication technology
and agriculture and fisheries.

As to issuance of certificates, unlike in other countries, TESDA issues national certificates to

persons who have attained competence in all units of competency comprising a national
qualification. The qualifications are aligned with specific skills levels as defined in the
National Qualification Framework. The present NQF defines four (4) certificate levels for
TVET—National Certificate Levels I, II, III and IV.

IV. ENHANCING EQUITY AND ACCESS IN TVET

a. Ladderized Education Program (LEP)

The changes and developments in the work patterns and skills demand in various
industries, including the emerging ones, necessitate the need for a very strong link
between TVET and higher education.

As a strategy to remedy this, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Executive Order
358 entitled “To Institutionalize a Ladderized Interface between Technical-Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education (HE)”. The purpose of
Ladderization is to open pathways of opportunities for career and educational
progression of students and workers. Specifically, it intends to create a seamless and
borderless education and training system that allows mobility in terms of flexible entry
and exit into the educational system. In essence, ladderized education is an empowering
tool because it provides options or choices to a wider range of clientele on when to enter
and to exit in the educational ladder. More importantly, it creates job platforms at every
exit and provides the student an opportunity to get a job and earn income.

While there will be no structural and systems changes, the ladderized system provide for
portability across levels for harmonization of qualifications. Through active advocacy, it
is expected that more State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are encouraged to ladderize
their programs. At present, the program has been rolled out by TESDA and CHED for the
Academic Year 2006-2007 covering eight (8) priority disciplines.

 Agriculture and Fisheries

 Health and Medical Services
  Information and Communication Technology
 Maritime
 Tourism/Hotel and Restaurant Management
 Criminology
 Education
 Engineering
The list of priority disciplines shall be expanded in the future based on the needs and the
recommendation ofthe Technical Panels on Ladderization.

b. Scholarship Programs There are three scholarship programs TESDA is currently

implementing. These programs direct the choices of careers to the critical skills
requirements of in-demand jobs in the labor market. The programs also allow for
equity through a socialized distribution of the opportunities made available through
government subsidies.

 Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) Since 1997, TESDA has
been implementing this program. Scholarship slots are distributed equitably to the 212
congressional districts in the country based on the number of high school graduates of
the prior year and the provincial poverty index. In addition to passing an aptitude test
administered by TESDA, the scholars are pre-qualified on the basis of their family
income and average grade in high school. TESDA has since provided opportunities to
138,000 poor but deserving Filipino youth through this program.

 PGMA Training for Work Scholarship Project (PGMA-TWSP)

This project is designed to directly intervene in provision of training for highly critical
skills, and, to encourage private TVET providers redirect their training programs to
skills that are most needed by the economy. Scholarship grants are in short courses
specifically in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and other industries
with highly critical skills such as Agri-Business, Aviation, Construction, Cyber
Services, Medical Tourism (Wellness Sector), and Metals and Engineering.

 Technical Education Skills Development Projects (TESDP)

These refer to two scholarship programs, namely: the Jobs-Directed Scholarship

Program (JDSP) and ADB-TESDP Scholarship Program are being implemented by
TESDA under a loan package funded by Asian Development Bank for the past two
years. Similar to the PESFA, these programs aim to provide poor but deserving youth
access to tech-voc education. To date, around 25,000 persons have been provided
scholarships. The program will culminate in 2007 when the ADB will be completed.

c. GAD in TVET

The commitment on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against

Women (CEDAW) and Beijing Platform for Action (BPA) requires the Philippine
government, as a signatory to these conventions, to ensure the equal access of women
and men at all levels of education, skills development and training.
 Over the years, TESDA has endeavored to lead in the gender mainstreaming efforts in
the TVET sector. Gender and Development (GAD) concerns were incorporated in
TESDA’s activities from planning to monitoring and evaluation. There are increasing
opportunities for females to enter non-traditional trades such as automotive and
welding trades, among others. TESDA offers a variety of training courses and
programs for women and men.

In 1991, with the assistance from the government of Japan, the TESDA Women’s
Center was established. It serves as the National Vocational Training Center for
Women through which TESDA facilitate provision of skills training and interventions
for the empowerment of women. The organization of TESDA GAD Committee and
the continuing partnership with various stakeholders are also among the efforts of
TESDA to address the issues of women and mainstream their concerns in TVET.

V. THE TVET OUTCOMES

a. Certification of Skilled Workers

As an evidence of achievement of prescribed skills standards and competencies and

quality TVET provision, TVET graduates are issued national certificate of competency
upon passing the competency assessment. Hence, this certificate serves as proof that the
person is a job-ready skilled worker. For easy access of the certified Filipino workers,
TESDA installed a Registry of Certified Workers (RWAC), a depository of information
about the workers specifically in terms of their competencies that fit the requirements to
the job market.

 Certification Rate

From 2000 to 2005, there were 162, 888 Filipino workers subjected to national
competency assessment and 90, 154 getting certified, or annual average certification rate
of 55%.

b. Employment of TVET Graduates

The ultimate outcome of skills training is employment, whether in paid employment or

self-created jobs. Tracer studies have been conducted to measure the absorption of TVET
graduates into the mainstream labor market. The latest study shows that overall
employment rate of graduates joining the labor force is 60%.

VI. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES

With the increasing recognition of TVET’s role in the development of the national
economy, the major challenges confronting TVET are in the area of increasing access to
and quality of TVET. •Massive National TVET Trainers / Assessors Qualification
Program The TVET trainer is central to the delivery of various TVET programs in the
country. To date, the current pool of TVET trainers in the country is estimated at 22,000.
Of the total, 1,300 or 6% are TESDA trainers who are currently manning TESDA’s
network of 121 technology institutes. The remaining 20,700 (94.1%)are employed in
other public and private TVET institutions. There is the need to expand the pool of
experts particularly in critical or priority trades.

More than increasing the trainers in number, the greater challenge is ensuring their
quality. Indeed, this calls for an intensive implementation of an assessment program for
Trainers. A number of initiatives have been adopted in response to this. One is the
adoption of the Philippine TVET Trainers Qualifications Framework (PTTQF). Each
Trainer Qualification (TQ) is a combination of a competency level in technology (a
particular National Certificate level) and an appropriate competency level in the Training
Methodology (TM). Second is the recent effort of TESDA to embark on a National TVET
Trainers and Assessors Qualification Program. A total of 4,000 trainers will undergo the
program in 2006. This consists of 1,300 TESDA trainers and the remaining 2,700 trainers
from institutions with programs progressing from No Training Regulation (NTR) to With
Training Regulation (WTR) status as well as those who will implement Ladderized
programs starting SY 2006-2007.

 Expanding the Capacity of Private TVET Institutions through Scholarships

The other major challenge is expanding the capacity of private TVET institutions through
scholarships. It makes the TVET system highly accessible to poor but deserving Filipinos
who require and need economic empowerment through the acquisition of competitive
competencies that meet job requirements. In response to this challenge, the existing
scholarship programs of TESDA are being expanded by pursuing partnership especially
through financial sharing scheme with national and local officials. The encouraging
response of national and local officials brings TVET opportunities to an increasing
number of beneficiaries.

 Global competitiveness

The rapid pace of globalization pressures nations to be competitive in order to survive.

These ushers the freer permeability of human resources among countries. While it poses
as a huge challenge to the survival of Filipino workforce in the global market, it yields
various opportunities. This challenge pushes for the continuing development and
replenishment of manpower in order to ensure that there are workers of the right quality
and right quantity for jobs that are made available at any given instance. Further, it urges
for a stronger labor market intelligence and technology development. Lastly, it
encourages transformation of the Filipino workforce to be knowledge-based and
adaptable to shifting skills or even occupations.

 Relevance, equity, accessibility, and cost-efficiency of TVET

In pursuits of relevant, accessible, equal and cost-efficient TVET, TESDA will gear up to
raise the capacity of TVET by being more innovative in managing its resources and
tapping more partners that could augment the limited resources and satisfy the demands
of the industries in terms of skills and competency requirements by sharpening labor
market intelligence and subsequently use the updated labor market information in
developing and re-engineering training programs.

VII. FUTURE DIRECTIONS

TVET in the Philippines is facing more challenging issues that pressures TESDA to
innovate and be competitive. The nature of TESDA’s responses is of course conditioned
by these push factors.

 Pursuit for Comparability of Competencies and Mutual Recognition of Skills

and Qualifications (MRSQ)

In response to the call for global competitiveness, it is imperative that comparability and
mutual recognition of skills and qualifications shall be actively pursued. TESDA is
actively pursuing this through its bilateral engagements as the mutual recognition of skills
and full qualifications is achieved through harmonious partnerships and arrangements
with several countries. This provides for greater opportunity for the Filipino workers as it
enhances worker mobility. It will likewise guide the development and validation of
quality standards for skills and qualification in the country to make our workers adaptable
to the global labor market. It would further push the call for the institutionalization of
relevant, accessible and quality TVET provision.

 Expansion of strategic partnerships in TVET

TESDA will continually pursue to expand and strengthen its domestic and international
networks and alliances to support private sector-led and market-driven TVET. These
strategic alliances with international partners such the General Organization for Technical
and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) of KSA, the UNEVOC Network, the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), International Labor Organization, the governments
of Canada, Libya and Japan, among others are synergic and mutually beneficial in
essence. Through sharing and learning from each other, organizations will learn to
imitate, innovate or invent ideas and practices towards further enhancing their programs
and services.

 Directing the Human Resource Development toward sustaining a competitive Filipino

workforce
Human Resource Development connotes the quality formation of human capabilities
towards socio-economic development. This strategy essentially puts premium to
competitiveness in terms of quality, quantity, and productivity of the Filipino workforce.
This entails the whole gamut of initiatives and reforms needed in the TVET system from
raising its capacity, institutionalizing quality, to expanding its alliances, among others.
This is one best strategy to quickly respond to the labor requirements especially of the
new and emerging markets.