TESDA documents free of charge for first-time jobseekers, agency says
By Dhel Nazario
The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) announced on Monday, May 22 that it will not charge first-time jobseekers when acquiring National Certificates (NCs), Certification, Authentication and Verification (CAV), and Certificates of Competencies (CoCs).
"First-time job seekers will now find it easier and more convenient to get the TESDA documents they require to apply for work," TESDA said in a statement.
TESDA will not charge any fees for first-time jobseekers who actually underwent the process of Competency Assessment and need the documents for their job application.
This is after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), TESDA, and 14 other agencies recently signed the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act (FTJAA) Joint Operational Guidelines (JOG).
The Joint Operational Guidelines institutionalize the procedures for all implementers and the issuance of pre-employment documents for first-time jobseekers as provided under the Republic Act No. 11261 or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.
TESDA Director General Danilo P. Cruz emphasized that the agency will work closely with other government agencies to help ease the burden of first-time jobseekers in getting pre-employment documents.
“The signing of these joint guidelines which further streamlines procedures, signifies the government’s commitment to help our kababayans land their first jobs, and effectively increase the youth’s chances for employment,” DG Cruz said.
The TESDA chief also underscored that the agency, being one of the attached agencies of DOLE, continues to help the country address perennial problems of skills-job mismatch and reduce unemployment among Filipino workers.
The First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee (FTJAA IAMC) signed the joint guidelines at the Kingsford Hotel Manila, Parañaque City last May 12.
The FTJAA or the Republic Act No. 11261 was signed into law by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019.
According to DOLE, since the initial implementation of RA 11261, more than 300,000 have so far benefited, and an estimated 83 million pesos in government fees have been waived.