TESDA: An Industry-Driven Institution

A Concept Paper by Norman Tolentino Buan

TESDA Dual Training System has been a significant part of the success of many individuals who have been trained and skilled in this technical-vocation education.

Technical education has become a major dynamic responsible for the growth and decline of other fields and industries and the allocative progress of its various programs made significant and relevant impact to the lives of its graduates since its inception in the 90’s. Indeed, technical education together with the developmental changes are closely interrelated to various demographic, social, and economic differentials that deals with the graduate’s status; and in many instances, their studies and trainings with technical education helps to explain these experiences.

For many years, the Philippines has made its effort to fit in the trend of mainstreaming technical skills in its curriculum. Thus, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) turned twenty-five in August 2019. TESDA is the government agency mandated to manage and supervise Technical Education and Skills Development (TESD) in the Philippines. As the nation’s premier Technical Vocational Education and Trainings (TVET) authority, the agency sets the direction of the TVET policy through plans and regulations, skills trainings, competency assessments and certifications.

As developmental changes continue within the institution and their objectives, various programs has made its way. One of the program is the so-called Dual Training Program which has been made into law as Dual Training System (DTS) Act of 1994 known as the RA 7686. Parallel to the TESDA Silver Linings Celebration, DTS Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) were revised by the TESDA Board headed by TESDA Director General, Secretary Isidro S. Lapena. Primary reasons for revising the DTS IRR is to ensure more industries will be encouraged to participate in DTS implementation and to make provisions within the IRR more suitable to recent changes and developments.

According to Futoshi Yamauchi et al. (2016), it has been increasingly recognized that vocational training has to be responsive to skill needs in the economy so that those who are trained in vocational training programs can readily contribute to the production narrowing the existing skill gaps. What particular skills that are required in the production are not available in the labor market, companies implement training to their employees o develop human capital specific to their production technology. This often happens as a form of on-the-job training (OJT). Recently, some vocational institutions started working with private companies to institutionalize OJT as part of their vocational training programs. One example is the Dual Training System (DTS) in the “Technology Institutes” managed by TESDA.

In addition, TESDA envisages that the DTS trainee beneficiaries enjoy quality training and acquire proper skills, work attitude, and knowledge leading to better employability after training and improved career mobility. The continued popularity of the DTS track among trainees may be taken as a prima facie evidence for the success of the dual mobility in TVET instruction.

The significant number of employed individuals is indeed a challenge not only for the Philippine government but also for the Filipino people in general. To address unemployment and capture the population segment that needs employment, the Technical Education Skills and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) comes to the fore. In response to the youth unemployment rate in particular and the desire for students and individuals to learn employable skills, the TESDA has been actively promoting its schools and training centers as the more practical option to high school students, out-of-school youth, and individuals who were not able to pursue formal education. Among the many programs created by the government, the Dual Training System (DTS) has been helping people to gain employment.

Created by Republic Act 7686, otherwise known as the Dual Training System Act of 1994, the DTS aims at training industry-driven skilled workforce development (LawPhil Project, 2016). It also aims to strengthen the manpower education and training in the Philippines under the instructional delivery system of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) where values and attitudes vis-à-vis company’s corporate values is developed side by side with skills and knowledge development.

An increasing number of young people are taking TVET courses at TESDA training centers and Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs). In 2008, more than one hundred thousand individuals were trained under DTS program in partnership with more than a thousand companies across the country. The number of trained individuals apparently have grown over the years. However, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of the IRR must adapt the New Normal situation as well.

In this view, it is an interesting area of inquiry to study on the implementation of DTS of TESDA to empirically assess its implementation and identify areas for improvement of the system particularly in the province of Bataan. In lieu with the RA 7686 or the Dual Training System Act of 1994, it is mandated by law to conduct monitoring studies of the implementation of said program in the country as per stated in Section 14.i (Section 14 Signing of Memorandum of Agreement by the Accredited Dual Training System Agricultural, Industrial and Business Establishment, the Accredited Dual Training System Educational Institutions, Training Center, and the Trainee – i. the performance, monitoring and evaluation system).

Like all other programs, the TESDA-DTS has experienced a lot of limitations in terms of its application and the activities in relation with the In-Centers. Along with these problems where the students and the industries involved, the TESDA must therefore make precautions, solutions, and protocols which are only stated by the law. In this ascent, the researcher initiates the study to deem the law into a readable version for the common people especially for used by the students as primer of what should be, would be, and must be done when they enter the program.

In these times of development and the challenges of the pandemics, with all the eventualities in the internal and external system that works under the dual training system program, it is apt to enrich the experience of the future learners. The researcher finds that writing a primer-protocol that may be used by the students will duly use by the institution especially at TESDA Bataan in unifying the system, the future students, the trainers and the private sector as well. This article is written to record the eventualities associated with the establishing the concept of the study.

References:

Futoshi, Yamauchi, et al. (2016). The Impact of On-The-Job Training on Employment and Earnings Dual Training System in the Philippines.

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2019). Philippine Report on Employment Rate. Accessed from hhttps://psa.gov.ph/content/employment-rate Reference Number 2019-181 on October 31, 2019.

LawPhil Project (2016). Republic Act 7686, otherwise known as the Dual Training System Act of 1994. Accessed from the www.dual training system.com on August 30,2016.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. (2016). Guidelines in the Implementation of Dual training System (DTS) Program and Dualized Training Programs (DTP). TESDA: Taguig, Metro, Manila.

Technical Education and Skill Development Authority. (2012). Dual Training System-House of Representatives. Accessed on from www.congress.gov.ph on October 1, 2016.