TESDA-ARMM gets P10 million for Community-based Training and Enterprise Development

COTABATO CITY – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (TESDA-ARMM) said some P10 million in funds have been allocated by the regional government for the implementation of the Community-based Training and Enterprise Development (CBTED).

Omarkhayyam Dalagan, TESDA-ARMM Director, said ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman allocated the funds for the implementation of the program, especially in conflict-affected communities. The CBTED is only one of the many TESDA programs.

TESDA-ARMM has been helping in the advancement of skills and technical education of the region’s constituents by providing free technical vocational education and training (TVET).

“Ang CBTED ay isang programa kung saan sasanayin natin ang isang tao at bibigyan ng pangangailangan niya tulad ng tool kits at maliit na puhunan, upang masimulan ang enterprise na kanyang napili,” Dir. Dalagan said.

He said just this year, TESDA-ARMM conducted the national TVET enrollment where more than 23,000 beneficiaries from the region have signified their intentions in availing skills training courses. Among the courses offered are Food Processing, Dressmaking, Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing, Computer System Servicing, Health Care Services, Motorcycle and Small Engine Servicing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, among others.

Graduates will undergo Competency Assessment and Certification to determine whether they can perform within the standard expected in the workplace based on the defined competency benchmarks. Passers are then provided with a TESDA National Certificate, according to Dir. Dalagan.

He said in 2017, TESDAARMM trained a total of 26,638 individuals and assessed 7,297 of whom 87.5% were certified as competent skilled workers. During the same year, a total of 11,153 scholarship slots were awarded by TESDA-ARMM amounting to over P81 million covering programs under the Training for Work Scholarship Program, Private Education Student Financial Assistance, and Skills Training for Employment Program.

Dir. Dalagan said TESDA’S services are not limited to providing skills training. “Kabilang rin sa core services natin ay ang Unified TVET Program Registration and Acceleration System (UTPRAS) kung saan nire-register natin ang mga institutions na gustong magoffer ng technical vocational courses,” he said.

“Tinawag itong unified dahil what is applicable in other regions is also being implemented in ARMM,” he added. Under the UTPRAS, 70 new training programs were registered across the five provinces of the region.