• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The institutionalization of the Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is being pushed in Bacolod City.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Education, said that promoting and institutionalizing TVET as an integral part of local development “will ensure that the workforce is equipped with competitive skills for employment, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning”.
The city government should establish and maintain an LGU-led training center that will be the main venue for technical-vocational training programs, assessments, and other skills development activities, Espino said in his proposed ordinance already approved on first reading by the SP.
Priority and general courses that could be offered in the training center, based on local industry demands, employment trends, and Tesda skills priority list, could include tourism and hospitality, automotive mechanics, information and communications technology, health care and social services, construction and infrastructure development, and entrepreneurship and small business management, among others.
A TVET Help Desk should also be established in this training center or the PESO Office to provide walk-in and online assistance to residents seeking information on skills training, assessment, scholarship, and employment opportunities, he added.
“There is need to institutionalize TVET in Bacolod to ensure sustainable, inclusive, and responsive skills development aligned with industry needs and local economic growth,” the proposal said, noting that Republic Act 11230, or the Tulong-Trabaho Act, and RA 10968, or the Philippine Qualifications Framework Act, stress the need for accessible and quality TVET, in line with national standards and industry demands. | CGC
