Region III stood out in the recently-concluded four-day 2021 Philippine National Skills Competition (PNSC) of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the agency said on Tuesday, Dec. 21.

Region III topped the national skills competition after garnering nine gold, three silver, and seven bronze medals. The competition ran from December 13 to 16 which featured hundreds of competitors nationwide.

TESDA said that participants competed in over 30 different skills areas which were held inside the TESDA Complex in Taguig City, and in Regions II, III, IV-A, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). Demonstration skills were also held in other areas such as in Manila Bulletin Building and Technological University of the Philippines both located in Manila.

Other skill competitions were held in Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and Nissan Philippines in Laguna for Automobile Technologies, and Richwell Colleges Inc. in Bulacan for Hotel Reception, among others.

In his speech, TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña expressed hope that competitors would be able to further understand the importance of their skills and the value of continuous learning.

"I know that this competition has given everyone the inspiration to level up with TESDA. I encourage you all to promote skills development among your peers," Lapeña said.

Aside from medals and certificates, gold medal winners have also received P30,000 while Silver and Bronze medalists received P20,000 and P15,000 respectively.

Likewise, the gold medal winners of the competition will undergo further training to prepare them to represent the country in the upcoming 2022 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China.

"For the gold medalists, in the coming months, we shall begin with the series of trainings and preparations for WorldSkills Shanghai in 2022," the TESDA Chief said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director General Lina Sarmiento, Chairperson for the National Organizing Committee (NOC) for Local Skills Competition, lauded the participants saying that the competition should be a learning experience for them.

“This competition should be a learning experience for all of our competitors, and they will walk away with improved key employability skills, such as effective teamwork and communication, and time management,” she said.

The PNSC is a competition that serves as a venue to recognize the skills excellence of young skilled workers and graduates of tech-voc education and training.