THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has reiterated its firm resolve to improve the quality of the Filipino workers’ technical and vocational (tech-voc) skills, especially among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) under the Marcos administration.

During the agency’s flag-raising ceremony last July 4, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Director General Rosanna Urdaneta asked TESDA employees to “work hard” towards achieving the new administration’s goals, notably improving the education and agriculture sectors.

“I encourage everyone to diligently work together as a team towards the realization of TESDA’s vision and mission. Let us not forget the discipline and work ethics we learned from Secretary Isidro Lapeña,” Urdaneta said.

“Since ‘unity’ is the main goal of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., let us show our own brand of unity through hard work here in TESDA,” she added.

In his inaugural speech last June 30, President Marcos underscored the need to enhance the technical and vocational education curriculum that would prepare Filipino workers, especially the youth, to compete better in the global market.

“What we teach in our schools, the materials used must be rethought. I am not talking about history. I’m talking about the basics, the sciences, sharpening theoretical aptitude and imparting vocational skills, such as in the German example,” he said.

“Alongside the national language; with equal emphasis and facility in a global language; which we had and lost. Let us give OFWs all the advantages we can for them to survive and to thrive,” he added.

The Chief Executive has also emphasized the importance of the agriculture sector, particularly in achieving food “self-sufficiency”, which requires urgent attention from all government agencies.

“The role of agriculture cries for the urgent attention that its neglect and misdirection now demands. Food self-sufficiency has been the key promise of every administration,” he said.

Deputy Director General for Operations Aniceto “John” Bertiz III explained that TESDA has always kept the agriculture sector among its top priority sectors in its many programs, projects, and services, especially during the pandemic.

He cited these qualifications under the agriculture sector to include Organic Agriculture Production NC (National Certificate) II, Agricultural Crops Production NC II, and Agro-Entrepreneurship NC II, among others.

According to him, TESDA has always been “active” in providing skills training to Filipino rice farmers under the Rice Extension Services Program (RESP) mandated under Republic Act 11203, also known as the Rice Tariffication Law.

In addition, Bertiz further pointed out that TESDA has implemented a dual-training system under the Enterprise-Based Training (EBT), a training modality modeled after Germany that combines theoretical and practical training.

“Our EBT program takes place alternately in two venues: the school or training center and the company or workshop,” he added.