MANILA — More than 20,000 rebel returnees, indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), have received skills training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) since 2016, an official of the agency said on Wednesday.
Elmer Talavera, Executive Director of the National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development (NITESD) at TESDA, bared this, noting that more resources for specialized groups — not only financial resources, but also collaborative engagements at the national level — is needed to address their plight.
“If I may recall, since 2016 there are more than 20,000 rebel returnees that have availed of training programs with TESDA in cooperation with our brothers on the ground, rebel returnees, PWDs, relatives of persons killed in action, wounded in action,” Talavera said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
Talavera said TESDA continues to “keep tab” on the employment of rebel returnees since they find it more difficult to find jobs.
“We will keep tab on these successes on employment of rebel returnees. We know that our industry is not that open,” Talavera said.
To date, he said TESDA is prioritizing skills training leading to self-employment or entrepreneurship — for rebel returnees right after finishing their qualifications.
“More entrepreneurial rather than forcing them to being (minimum) wage employee, because we cannot easily erase the stigma, it’s a hiring practice,” Talavera said.
“But if they can start on their own, set up their own enterprise, there’s future in and things going on the ground,” he added.
Talavera said the target rebel returnees they plan to train for 2018 to 2019 is 19,800.
Since 2016, TESDA has trained a total of 24,486 IPs; 20, 550 drug surrenderers, and 23,330 inmates.
Earlier, TESDA Director General, Secretary Isidro Lapeña vowed to further improve the agency’s various technical vocational education training (TVET) programs.
Lapeña continues to visit all regional and provincial offices to get a better understanding of TVET program implementation before the year ends. –PNA
