Note: This story has been updated with more information.
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By EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
THE PENINSULA MANILA, Makati City, 25 August 2023 (SDN) — As the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 marches on, changes in the workplace are happening, the nature and mode of work change as well, thus workers must adapt, retool, upskill, and reskill.
Obviously, the Technical Education and Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) now headed by Secretary/Director General Suharto “Datu Teng” T. Mangudadatu, Ph.D., is preparing to arm itself with the necessary requisites to come up with Filipino workers who are quite ready for the future of work.
This is a major reason for today’s highly attended launch of TESDA’s National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan (NTESDP) 2023-2028 national blueprint for the technical vocational education and training (TVET) which revolves around the theme, “MaGaling at MakaBagong TVET para sa Bagong Pilipinas: TVET as Pathway to Recovery and Social-Economic Transformation”.
Mangudadatu, former multi-term governor of the province of Sultan Kudarat in Southern Philippines, United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson, and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma co-launched the national TVET blueprint.
While President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. was not able to attend the launch of the NTESDP 2023-2028, he is known to champion TESDA and its TVET.
NTESDP 2023-2028 “holds immense promise in shaping the future of our nation”
“TVET continues to prove itself to be an empowering educational intervention. There are many examples of how its graduates have gone on to secure. competitive technical jobs,” the President said in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 26.
The President’s strong support for the agency, its programs and services did not go unnoticed with the TESDA chief. Mangudadatu, still only two months at the helm of the manpower agency, has always cited and thanked Marcos for his strong support.
“Our President showed great appreciation and strong support for our organization and the work that we do. With this, let us focus more on meeting the President’s goals, especially towards the upskilling and reskilling of workers, improving the curriculum, and providing better services for our kababayans,” the TESDA chief said after hearing of the President’s words.
As the TESDA chief, Mangudadatu at the launch of the new five-year NTESDP, cited the making of the blueprint, which is a fruit of the agency’s consultation with various stakeholders anchored on the mandate under Republic Act No. 7796, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mangudadatu emphasized the national TVET blueprint’s embrace and implementation of inclusivity.
“The NTESDP 2023-2028 captures the government’s more inclusive and aggressive approach in creating a globally competitive workforce and fostering economic growth through continuous skilling, reskilling, and upskilling in the context of lifelong learning. This will be realized through the collaborative spirit of various sectors working together to shape a brighter future for the Philippines,” the TESDA chief said.
He gave credit to the predecessors of the NTESDP, saying this year’s launch is the fifth iteration of the TVET blueprint. He hastened to add, in his launching speech before the packed Rigodon Ballroom of the five-star hotel, that TESDA’s mandate is to “formulate a comprehensive plan for development and utilization of skilled workers for employment, entrepreneurship, and technology development for economic and social growth”.
In a related development, the DOLE chief offered a message congratulating TESDA for crafting the national TVET blueprint.
“This plan holds immense promise in shaping the future of our nation by fostering education, lifelong learning, and socio-economic transformation through (TVET),” Laguesma said.”
“As we launch this plan, we are taking a significant step towards equipping our citizens with the necessary tools to thrive in an ever-evolving global economy.”
In “TESDA, Lingap ay Maaasahan” is “a shared commitment to providing unwavering support” for Filipinos
Following TESDA’s mandate, Mangudadatu said the NTESDP is dedicated to supporting the Philippine Development Plan’s (PDP) implementation as well as contributing to the government’s achievement of its long-term plan of “matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay (stable, prosperous and peaceful life) through our interventions for workforce development”.
Mangudadatu added: “For NTESDP 2023-2028, we are envisioning a globally recognized Philippine TVET as a catalyst for education and lifelong learning, workforce, and socio-economic transformation.”
The TESDA chief explained further that the NTESDP shall be a guide and reference for TVET actors and leaders as they come up with relevant policies and programs for the sector.
“Thus, this Plan is thoughtfully crafted through extensive consultations together with various TVET stakeholders. It encompasses the contributions and collaboration of TESDA, the national and local government, industry, academe, labor, NGOs, other sectors and the learners and workers for both the formulation and implementation of the Plan,” Mangudadatu emphasized.
The TESDA Director General extended his thanks as well to The Asia Foundation (TAF), World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), and his “profound gratitude to the USAID Opportunity 2.0 Project for supporting the development of the NTESDP 2023-2028 as we look forward to working further with you in the operationalization of this plan.”
“Sa ‘Bagong Pilipinas’, let us march forward with determination, embracing change, and fostering a legacy of empowerment. Rooted in compassion and dedication, ‘Sa TESDA, Lingap ay Maaasahan…’ This is our shared commitment to providing unwavering support, care and dependable support to our fellow citizens through training — tungo sa ‘magaling at makabagong TVET’ para sa buong Pilipinas (towards a brilliant and modern TVET for the whole Philippines).”
The Rigodon Ballroom of the five-star hotel was filled with VIPs/dignitaries, among others, such as Ambassador-Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of the Philippines Folakemi I. Akinleye, Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Dato Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Pfaffernoschke, Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Charge’ d’Affaires San Yu Kyaw, TESDA Deputy Directors General Rosanna A. Urdaneta, Aniceto D. Bertiz III, and Vidal D. Villanueva III, and some Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), MPs Ali B. Sangki, Rasol Mitmug, Jr., Ali Montaha D. “Al” Babao, Atty. Rasol Yap Mitmug, Jr., Atty. Sittie Fahanie Uy- Oyod, Eng’r Baintan Adil Ampatuan, and Diamila Disimban Ramos.
Of course, the TESDA Director General’s family was there, including his wife, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Sangki Mangudadatu, and their children, one of them Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Sangki Mangudadatu.
Also in attendance at the event were legislators, local and international partners, industry associations, and representatives from other government agencies, academe, labor groups, employer groups, and embassies. (✓)