BY: RIZALIE A. CALIBO
SIQUIJOR, July 2 (PIA) --Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director-general Joel Villanueva earlier vowed to launch community-based program and bring mobile centers within 2014 to bring progress to the province of Siquijor.
In his visit to the island recently, Villanueva said TESDA and the local government officials are partners in giving quality services and ensuring the future of the local folks.
"We will tap schools, assess and help them get certified so they can help us bring quality training to the communities," Villanueva said.
He added that TESDA is the first in education sector that is ISO certified so that their graduates of technical-vocational (Tech-Voc) are assured of better job.
“Dahil ISO certified, ipapakita mo lang ang ‘yong ‘national certificate’, hired ka kaagad,” (Just show your certificate and you’ll get hired right away). He cited the dramatic increase in Tech-Voc graduates absorption rate and the number of graduates landing a high-paying job here and abroad.
Before the Aquino administration, absorption rate was only 28% or 28 out of every 100 graduates get hired. Now it's 65.3% or nearly 70 of every 100 tech-voc graduates get jobs, he said.
Villanueva pleaded to the Siquijodnons to erase the stigma of TechVoc and believe that there are lots of opportunities in it.
“Hindi totoo and ‘tech-voc ka lang?’ dahil marami ang umasenso sa tech-voc, marami ang college graduate na pumupunta sa tech-voc,” he said.
He further explained that in TESDA, you have choice: a choice get a college degree or tech-voch courses; be wage-employed or self-employed; get jobs abroad or stay in Siquijor.
“And in that choices, I believe that there is bright future that awaits you,” he concluded. (mbcn/RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)