Zamboanga del Sur – On Tuesday, May 4, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go filed Senate Bill No. 2156 which seeks to institutionalize the Zamboanga del Sur Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Provincial Training and Assessment Center to be established in Labangan town in order to provide local residents in the province access to training courses for middle- and high-skill occupations.
“Dahil sa pandemyang ating hinaharap, dapat mas pinapalakas pa natin ang mga technical-vocational education and skills training programs sa bansa. Having an educated and skilled workforce will not only accelerate development in the countryside but will also provide better economic opportunities that will help Filipinos recover from this crisis,” explained Go.
“Kaya siguraduhin po natin na may mga programang nakahanda para sa kabuhayan nila. Lalo na ang mga ‘tech-voc’ o skills training para sa mga Pilipinong gustong matuto o makakuha ng sertipikasyon sa kanilang mga kakayahan para makakuha agad sila ng maayos na trabaho,” he continued.
The center aims to reduce poverty and strengthen the labor force in Zamboanga del Sur by providing technical-vocational education and training to low-income residents, out-of-school youth, unemployed and underemployed adults, informal workers, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples, among others.
It shall specifically offer a variety of short-term certificate courses and modular training opportunities tailored to meet the needs of the emerging labor market demands.
The curriculum will include seminars and TESDA-registered training programs in the following areas: (1) industry technology and hard trades; (2) agriculture and aquaculture; (3) preferred skills employment and small-scale entrepreneurship; (4) basic business literacy; (5) technical-vocational occupation and trades; and (6) computer literacy and information technology, etc.
The center may also establish mobile training programs and satellite training centers throughout the province to broaden access for residents as well as research and technological hubs to strengthen linkages to local industries and the academe.
Under Go’s proposed measure, the center may become fully operational only if it can comply with minimum requirements for the quality standards prescribed by TESDA, including the standard procedures and guidelines for establishment and operations; basic requirements which include licensed personnel, equipment and facilities; a sustainable funding source; and program alignment benchmarking in the context of the Philippine Qualifications Framework and ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework.
The center’s day-to-day operations will be managed by the Technical-Vocational Administrator who shall be appointed by the TESDA Director-General.
“Suportahan po natin ‘yung mga kababayan nating gustong bumalik sa pag-aaral, lalo na ngayong dahan-dahan pa lang bumabalik ang sigla ng ating ekonomiya. Kung magagawa natin ito, mabibigyan natin sila ng panibagong pagkakataon na makabalik sa trabaho at makapaghanapbuhay para sa kanilang mga pamilya,” said Go.
To provide incentives and livelihood opportunities to Filipinos who wish to return to their provinces, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 114 in May 2020 which institutionalized the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa program.
The EO came about after the Senator authored Senate Resolution No. 380 urging the executive department to implement a program that will decongest Metro Manila and promote robust development in the provinces.
The resulting program has four key results areas in order to ensure inclusive and balanced urban and rural development, namely: (1) the empowerment of local industries; (2) food security and agricultural productivity; (3) housing, social welfare, health, employment and human resource development; and infrastructure development.
Following its initial rollouts, the BP2 program was temporarily suspended in 2020 to give way to the Hatid Tulong initiative, a transportation assistance program which helps locally stranded individuals return to their provinces.
(Source: Zamboanga del Sur Press Bureau)