THE LAW ON TEACHNICAL EDUCATION & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND DUAL TRAINING SYSTEMS

I. RA 7696 Technical Education & Skills Development Act of 1994 Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to provide relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical education and skills development in support of the development of high quality Filipino middle-level manpower responsive to and in accordance with Philippine development goals and priorities. Private Sector Participation. - The State shall encourage the active participation of various concerned sectors, particularly private enterprises, being direct participants in and immediate beneficiaries of a trained and skilled workforce, in providing technical education and skills development opportunities. OBJECTIVES: promote & strengthen the quality of TVET skills development for International Competitiveness meet the changing demand for Quality Middle-Level Manpower. encourage critical & creative thinking by disseminating Scientific and Technical Knowledge Base. Recognize & encourage complementary Roles of Public and Private Institutions. Inculcate Desirable Values thru development of moral character w/ emphasis on work ethic, selfdisciple & nationalism

TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PLAN TESDA shall formulate a comprehensive development plan for middle-level manpower based on National employment plan/policies for the optimum allocation Development & utilization of skilled worker for employment, entrepreneurship, technology development for economic & social growth.

REFORMED INDUSTRY-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM (apprenticeship, dual training) provide maximum protection & welfare of the worker-trainee Improve quality, relevance & social responsibility of technical education & skills development Accelerate employment-generation efforts of the government Expand range of opportunities

TESDA BOARD Secretary of DOLE Chairperson Secretary of DEP-ED- Co-Chairperson Secretary of DTI Co-Chairperson Secretary of DA Member Secretary of DILG Member Director General of TESDA- Secretariat Member Private Sector Representative

FUNCTION OF THE BOARD formulate continuing, coordinated and fully integrated technical education and skills development policies, plan and programs.

POWER OF THE BOARD Approve & promulgate National TESDA Plan Organize and constitute committees, groups for efficient integration, coordination, monitoring of National TESDA Plan Enter into, make execute, perform and carry out domestic and foreign contract Established and administer a system of accreditation of both public and private institutions Approved trade skills standards & test established and conducted by private industries

TESDA SECRETARIAT FUNCTIONS Establish & maintain a planning process formulate National TESDA Plan Provide analytical inputs to policy and decision-making of TESDA Prepare & implement programs for the training of trainers, supervisors, planners & managers Implement & administer the apprenticeship program

TESDA SECRETARIAT COMPOSITION: Director-General Deputy Directors-General Chief of Services for Administration

OFFICES OF THE TESDA SECRETARIAT Planning Office Design & establish planning processes & methodologies to enhance efficiency of resource allocation decisions Conduct researches, studies & development information systems for effective & efficient planning & policy making Develop & implement programs & projects aimed at building up planning capabilities of various institutions Skills Standards & Certification Office Develop & establish a national system of skills standardization, testing & certification in the country Design, innovate & adopt processes and methodologies for industry, workers and the government progressively /actively participate in promoting skills standards Establish & implement a system of accrediting private enterprises, associations, institutions to serve as skills testing venues. National Institute for Technical Vocational Education and Training Research & development arm of the government Develop curricula & program standards Develop program for continuing development of trainers, teachers & instructors Develop programs & projects which will build up institutional capabilities

Office of Formal Technical Vocational Education & Training Provide policies, measures & guidelines for effective & efficient administration of formal TVET Establish system for accredition, coordination, integration, monitoring, & evaluation of the different formal TVET Establish network of institutions engaged in institutionalised TVET

Office of the Non-formal technical vocational education & training Provide direction, policies & guidelines for effective implementation of non-formal community-based TVET Accredit, coordinate, monitor & evaluate various non-formal TVET Establish network of institutions including local government units, organizations implementing non-formal community based TVET Office of Apprenticeship Provide direction, policies & guidelines on the implementation of the apprenticeship system Accredit, coordinate, monitor & evaluate all apprenticeship schemes & programs implemented by institutions & enterprises Establish networks of institutions & enterprises conducting apprenticeship schemes & programs

REGIONAL OFFICES Headed by Regional Directors with rank of Director IV under the direct control of the DirectorGeneral Supervise, coordinate & integrate, thru its provincial TESDA offices all TVET programs, projects in their jurisdiction Develop and recommend TESDA program for regional & local level implementation

PROVINCIAL OFFICES Headed by Skill Development Offices with rank of Director III Provide technical assistance to local government units for effective supervision, coordination, integration and monitoring of TVET programs within their locality Review & recommend TESDA programs for implementation within their localities

ACTIVITIES OF TESDA Accredit, coordinate, integrate, monitor and evaluate all the different formal and non-formal TVET programs Encourage active participation of the private sector, industry groups, trade associations, employers & workers, private enterprises Promote and strengthen the quality of technical education and skills development programs

PROGRAMS OF TESDA User-led or market-driven strategy strengthening linkages between educational/training institutions and industry to ensure that appropriate skills & knowledge are provided by the education systems Apprenticeship & Learnership Programs Dual Training System

TECHNICAL & VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS & TRAINING CENTER Public Technical & Vocational School Private Technical & Vocational Schools Training Centers Assessment Centers

II. RA 7686 DUAL TRAINING SYSTEMS ACT OF 1994 Declaration of Policy. it is the policy of the State to strengthen manpower education & traiing in the country To assured of an ever-growing supply of an educated & skilled manpower equipped with appropriate skills & desirable work habits & attitudes.

Dual training system, shall be adopted and in duly accredited vocational & technical school , in cooperation with accredited agricultural, industrial & business establishments, as one of the preferred means of creating a dependable pool of well-trained operators, craftsmen & technicians for the economy. OBJECTIVES Encourage increasing utilization of the dual system in TVET by both public & private school within the context of the existing education system Encourage increasing levels of investment in TVET by public & private sector in rural areas Enhance employability & productivity of graduates by equipping them with analytical and creative thingking and problem-solving abilities, manipulative competencies which meet occupational standards and requirements, values & attitudes with emphais on work ethics, quality orientation, discipline, honesty, self-reliance & patriotism Strengthen taining cooperation between agricultural, industrial & business establishments and educastional institutions by designing and implementing relevant programmes in close coordination with local government untis

INCENTIVES FOR PARTICIPATING ESTABLISHMENTS Business participants are allowed to deduct from their taxable income the amount of 50% of the system expenses paid to the accredited dual training system educational institution for the establishments trainees

OBLIGATIONS OF ACCREDITED AGRICULTURAL, INDUCTRIAL & BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT Ensure that necessary abilities and knowledge for the trainee to achieve the purpose of his training are imparted to him and shall provide such training systematically in accordance with an approved training plan. Appoint training officer to implement the training plan Make available, free of charge, the consumable materials and basic hand tools & equipment necessary for his training Allow the trainee attend his in-school training and to sit for his examinations

Require the trainee to keep his report book up to date & inspect such books Pay to the accredited educational institution/training center the daily allowance of the trainee

OBLIGATIONS OF the accredited educational institution/training center Design, implement, evaluate jointly the training plan with the accredited establishments Provide specific, general occupation-related theoretical instruction Appoint industrial coordinators to supervise the in-pant training Pay the trainee his daily allowance

OBLIGATIONS OF the TRAINEE Carefully perform the jobs entrusted to him as part of his training Take part in training programs for which he ahs been granted time off Follow the instruction given to him as part of his training by the training officer Observe rules of behavior in the training premises Use tools, instruments, machines & other equipment with due care Not reveal any business or trade secrets that have come to his knowledge in the course of his training Keep his record books up to date

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT set forth: Training plan Nature & objective of the training Commencement & duration of the training period Normal daily training hours Trainee allowance & the rate to be applied, which in no case shall start below 75% of the applicable minimum daily wage for days spent in the establishment Right & obligations of the parties Conditions for termination of the training agreement Performance, monitoring & evaluation system

REFERENCES: RA 7696 Technical Education & Skills Development Act of 1994 RA 7686 DUAL TRAINING SYSTEMS ACT OF 1994

ANALYSIS: There are no active accrediting bodies in TVET at this time not like in higher education where there are many accrediting bodies in operation. There is a Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) with many accrediting bodies under its fold. There is a Technical Vocational Education Accrediting Agency of the Philippines recognized by FAAP, which has not been operational. In as much that TESDA would like to tap industry bodies to do the accreditation of TVET in their concerned sector, since TVET is work-oriented and the users of a trained manpower are the industries, industries here in the Philippines are not yet ready to take on accreditation work. There will be lots of capability building to get this thing done. It will be a long drawn process and the wisdom of the TESDA Board is needed to settle this. The forerunner of TESDA the National Manpower and Youth Council did not have a fruitful experience when it tried facilitating the forming of industry boards. W hen the assistance was weaned from the industry boards, the industry boards became moribund. This did not involve accreditation yet as part of the scope of work but the setting of skills standards and trade test instruments. What more when this will involve accreditation that will entail lots of leg work especially in the site visits and validation.

Whether it is industry-led accreditation or peer-led accreditation, the latter being identified with FAAP and TVEAAP as the officers of these associations are academicians themselves, there will be lots of capability and capacity building to be provided by TESDA because the issue boils down to readiness in conducting accreditation.

In a bid to lessen the job mismatch in the country, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority steps up its campaign for the dual training system (DTS), this time, involving players in various industries. Under Republic Act 7686, the DTS brings together "establishments and the educational institution to share the responsibility of providing the trainee with the best possible job qualifications, the former essentially through practical training and the latter by securing an adequate level of specific, general and occupation-related theoretical instruction." TESDA's move to focus on the industries' involvement in the DTS is expected to help jobseekers find employment through the two-year training program within targeted firms. Sixty percent of the two-year training duration will be spent in actual work and 40 percent of the time will be spent at training centers. Trainees will still get salaries (75 percent of the minimum wage), even as they are assured of employment upon completion of the training.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) said tax breaks will be given to companies that accept students of technical and vocational courses as trainees. The DTS was designed to give tech-voc students hands-on training in the workplace on top of theoretical training in schools. But many companies reportedly see such training as an additional expense and are not inclined to partner with technical and vocational schools. Among these are the deduction from the taxable income of the actual expenses paid to the accredited dual training system educational institutions trainees and the deduction of financial aid paid for the operation of the system within the taxable year. Since the DTS educational program is a national priority, corporate contributions shall be deductible from a companys taxable business income for the period when the contribution was made. With the increasing recognition of TVETs role in the development of the national economy, the major challenges confronting TVET are in the area of increasing access to and quality of TVET.

The TVET trainer is central to the delivery of various TVET programs in the country. To date, the current pool of TVET trainers in the country is estimated at 22,000. Of the total, 1,300 or 6% are TESDA trainers who are currently manning TESDAs network of 121 technology institutes. The remaining 20,700 (94.1%) are employed in other public and private TVET institutions. There is the need to expand the pool of experts particularly in critical or priority trades. More than increasing the trainers in number, the greater challenge is ensuring their quality. Indeed, this calls for an intensive implementation of an assessment program for Trainers. A number of initiatives have been adopted in response to this. One is the adoption of the Philippine TVET Trainers Qualifications Framework (PTTQF). Each Trainer Qualification (TQ) is a combination of a competency level in technology (a particular National Certificate level) and an appropriate competency level in the Training Methodology (TM). Second is the recent effort of TESDA to embark on a National TVET Trainers and Assessors Qualification Program. A total of 4,000 trainers will undergo the program. This consists of 1,300 TESDA trainers and the remaining 2,700 trainers from institutions with programs progressing from No Training Regulation (NTR) to With Training Regulation (WTR) status as well as those who will implement Ladderized programs. The other major challenge is expanding the capacity of private TVET institutions through scholarships. It makes the TVET system highly accessible to poor but deserving Filipinos who require and need economic empowerment through the acquisition of competitive competencies that meet job requirements. In response to this challenge, the existing scholarship programs of TESDA are being expanded by pursuing partnership especially through financial sharing scheme with national and local officials. The rapid pace of globalization pressures nations to be competitive in order to survive. This ushers the freer permeability of human resources among countries. While it poses as a huge challenge to the survival of Filipino workforce in the global market, it yields various opportunities. This challenge pushes for the continuing development and replenishment of manpower in order to ensure that there are workers of the right quality and right quantity for jobs that are made available at any given instance. Further, it urges for a stronger labor market intelligence and technology development. Lastly, it encourages transformation of the Filipino workforce to be knowledge-based and adaptable to shifting skills or even occupations. In pursuits of relevant, accessible, equal and costefficient TVET, TESDA will gear up to raise the capacity of TVET by being more innovative in managing its resources and tapping more partners that could augment the limited resources, and satisfy the demands of the industries in terms of skills and competency requirements by sharpening labor market intelligence and subsequently use the updated labor market information in developing and re-engineering training programs. TVET in the Philippines is facing more challenging issues that pressures TESDA to innovate and be competitive. The nature of TESDAs responses is of course conditioned by these push factors. In response to the call for global competitiveness, it is imperative that comparability and mutual recognition of skills and qualifications shall be actively pursued. TESDA is actively pursuing this through its bilateral engagements as the mutual recognition of skills and full qualifications is achieved through harmonious partnerships and arrangements with several countries. This provides for greater opportunity for the Filipino workers as it enhances worker mobility. It will likewise guide the development and validation of quality standards for skills and qualification in the country to make our workers adaptable to the global labor market. It would further push the call for the institutionalization of relevant, accessible and quality TVET provision.

Human Resource Development connotes the quality formation of human capabilities towards socioeconomic development. This strategy essentially puts premium to competitiveness in terms of quality, quantity and productivity of the Filipino workforce. This entails the whole gamut of initiatives and reforms needed in the TVET system from raising its capacity, institutionalizing quality, to expanding its alliances, among others. This is one best strategy to quickly respond to the labor requirements especially of the new and emerging markets.

Recommendation: 1. Open up the accreditation market regardless of whether this is industry or not who should do the accreditation and TESDA should just recognize these accreditation providers. One of the major criteria in the recognition of accrediting bodies should be readiness or the capacity to conduct accreditation. For year 2005 there should have been two accrediting bodies that have been given recognition by TESDA to do accreditation in TVET. 2. Massive advocacy should be provided by TESDA informing private and public institutions that these are the accrediting bodies duly recognized by TESDA and that they can voluntarily submit for accreditation if they want to raise the level or status of their program/institution. By year 2005 at least 10 institutions should have been accredited to the lowest level award by the accrediting bodies. 3. By year 2006, the recognized TESDA accrediting bodies should have expanded to five. These accrediting bodies should also have accredited a total of 100 programs/institutions. 4. By year 2007, the recognized TESDA accrediting bodies should have expanded to eight. These accrediting bodies should have accredited an additional 140 programs/institutions.