The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will now be more accessible to Manila residents as it will have a new office at the Universidad de Manila (UDM) Annex.
TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña and Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Friday, May 28 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for a tripartite partnership between and among TESDA, UDM and Public Employment Service Office (PESO)-Manila.
Under the MOA, the City of Manila, through the UDM, provides TESDA-Manila with three large rooms as offices boosting the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the city.
Lapeña said that transferring TESDA-Manila office at UDM-Annex in Sta. Cruz, a more strategic location, will be more appropriate and accessible for residents of Manila.
He added that there are around 5,000 students applying for admission at UDM.
“As TESDA-Manila moves to UDM Annex, we shall be able to reach out to aspiring college students and encourage them to avail higher technical and vocational education as an alternative to a college degree,” Lapeña said.
Domagoso in turn expressed his gratitude to TESDA saying that the MoA signed was in line with the city’s direction to address the socio-economic effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“TESDA, for that matter, is going to be one of the best assets of City of Manila and thank you for that opportunity,” he said.
Also under the MOA, TESDA, together with Manila City’s PESO will help tech-voc graduates to find employment.
The agency is also set to conduct Community-Based Training for Enterprise Development (CBTED) for unskilled residents and provide trainer development programs for UDM’s TVET trainers.
Lapeña assured the city that TESDA-Manila and TESDA National Capital Region (NCR) are ready to deliver the agency’s services to Manileños.
“We will continue supporting the city’s efforts of empowering Manileños and rebuilding the city’s role as the center for urban living in the country,” he said.
Lapeña said some 1,789 trainees from the city have completed the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).
He also expressed hope that more Manileños will be catered by TESDA in the future.
After the MoA signing, Lapeña also graced the inauguration of TESDA Manila Assessment Center for Domestic Work NC II in Paco, Manila, the fifth assessment center for domestic work in the region.