DUMAGUETE CITY – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Negros Oriental is urging the public to consider enrolling in technical and vocational (tech-voc) courses to help address the job mismatch gap, an official said on Thursday.
Fletcher Gumahad, TESDA-Negros Oriental provincial director, emphasized during a Kapihan forum that many individuals still prefer pursuing a baccalaureate degree, which typically takes at least four years, over shorter tech-voc courses.
Gumahad pointed out that TESDA graduates have better prospects of securing employment quickly due to the demand for positions in the job market.
“A TESDA graduate gets employed within six months of completing a course with a National Certification Level II (NC II), compared to college degree holders who often get hired a year or even longer after graduation,” he explained.
He added that certain college courses also require licensure before graduates can be fully employed, which can further delay their entry into the workforce.
Gumahad mentioned that despite the advantages of tech-voc courses, there is still a tendency for people to avoid enrolling in them, as observed in his interviews across the province.
To address this, TESDA is integrating the knowledge and skills of NC II certification into all strands in 12 senior high schools starting this school year. Previously, only the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) strand included this training.
This change allows students to acquire useful skills that can lead to employment immediately after graduation, as they will be eligible to earn NC II certification in senior high school. However, Gumahad clarified that students must still pass the national assessment certification program to obtain their NC II.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) in Negros Oriental has introduced a new tech-voc curriculum focused on sugar processing, making it the only one of its kind in the Philippines.
Dr. Antonio Baguio Jr., DepEd education program supervisor for the Negros Oriental division, announced that the first batch of graduates, consisting of around 30 students, completed their studies this year.
However, Gumahad noted that TESDA and DepEd are still working to resolve certain issues regarding the issuance of NC II certification to these graduates.
The new curriculum was launched in a national high school in Barangay Tara, Mabinay, in recognition of the significant sugar industry in Negros Oriental. (PNA)
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