TESDA center to be built in Cebu

CEBU CITY — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Central Visayas is building an innovation center to “cope with the changing times.”

TESDA Director General Isidro Lapeña led the groundbreaking for the two-story building that will be built inside the agency’s compound.

“We are embarking on a project that will positively impact the vibrant and growing industries that have been sustaining the economic development goals of the entire Visayas region,” Lapeña said.

Construction of the R40-million building will be handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The center will offer opportunities for partnerships with private entities to develop new systems and programs.

“Each day we are bombarded with new technologies that force us to change the way we live and do business. The skill sets we now possess may no longer be effective in the near future and the products we now produce may become obsolete that we think as clients become more and more demanding. The construction of the building is very significant since we have to innovate, upgrade to the contemporary times,” Lapeña said.

The center will have a display area, practical work area and lecture room, multipurpose hall, multimedia room, equipment room, two meeting rooms, a cafeteria and offices for the center administrator, faculty and staff.

Lapeña said TESDA will not only focus on providing skills training programs. “The end result will already be a part of our policy direction. The trainees should land a job after graduation. We are tying up with companies to achieve that. Tying up with companies will help prevent job mismatches since the trainings will fit for the manpower that that the companies need,” he said.