TO make the agency’s programs and services accessible to the remotest barangays in the country, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will soon bring technical education and skills development right at its trainees’ doorsteps with its training-on-wheels program.
Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva said this was made possible after Genesis Transport Services Inc. donated two buses to the agency, making it easier for the agency to roll out mobile training in select areas.
Villanueva said the buses will be transformed into mobile classrooms, equipped with the necessary facilities found in a typical training center for the training of poor people in remote and far-flung communities. This will be launched soon.
Aside from this, the buses will also serve as mobile assessment centers for those who seek to have their qualifications stamped with Tesda’s seal of excellence.
“There will be no more excuses. If you cannot come to Tesda, Tesda will come to you,” Villanueva said during the recent turnover ceremonies of the buses at the Tesda complex in Taguig City.
“For the poor, there will be no more barriers for not picking up a trade that may better their chances to land jobs and earn income. For the housewives and husbands who are worried about leaving their wards unattended, this will provide a means for learning new skills that may generate income even from home,” he added.
Despite producing thousands of employable graduates every year, Villanueva said the agency continues to look for schemes to reach out to people and offer them choices through technical skills development. He acknowledged that there were some areas and communities that Tesda was not able to reach, hence, were not attended to in the past.
“We aim to bring Tesda’s programs and services closer to those who would most likely benefit from them. To reach the grassroots requires that we venture and explore other opportunities to better serve our neediest and deserving constituents,” Villanueva said.
After thorough training of the course of their choice, the agency conducts assessment of the graduates and certifies them into Tesda Specialistas to help them make something of themselves with the skills that they were provided.
Villanueva thanked Genesis Transport for fulfilling its commitment to donate the two buses.
Earlier, Tesda and the bus company partnered for the training of Genesis drivers to enhance their driving skills and make them more conscious of safety when behind the wheel. The drivers who took the training also underwent assessment and were later on certified by the agency.
“This turnover is a shining example of how public institutions and private companies can embark on a journey together to achieve a common goal,” Villanueva said.
