PH, Germany ink tech-voc pact

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva. tesda.gov.ph photo

MANILA, Philippines–The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has hooked up with its counterpart in Germany to boost technical-vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines.

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva, who joined President Aquino in his four-nation European trip, signed in Berlin a cooperation agreement with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), an international center of excellence for TVET research, for collaborative research and development.

Villanueva witnessed on Sept. 19 the signing of a joint declaration of intent between Germany and the Philippines on “furthering technical-vocational education and training through consultancy, technical assistance, exchange of information, experiences, best practices, joint research, study tours and expert meetings.”

Both initiatives, he said, would further improve the TVET so it could provide the skills needed by the graduates and make them eligible for work, reducing unemployment and underemployment.

“In Germany, many students take vocational training, and for those not yet ready, an intensive pre-apprenticeship program backs the youth. Their government has been investing massive amounts of talent and money on TVET and it is paying off,” Villanueva said.

“The challenge we face in skills development is the need to increase the permeability of the TVET. Since the issues in the TVET are now global in nature, the more we should consider external support in the design of our training programs,” he said.

With the cooperation agreement, the agency will be able to take concrete actions for capability-building, research and development and dual training as the BIBB can open up channels to fund research projects in the country, Villanueva said.