ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider CHED, TESDA join forces to align curricula for priority industries

CHED, TESDA join forces to align curricula for priority industries

Published Sep 15, 2025 03:23 pm
CHED and TESDA signed a landmark agreement to align curricula for six priority industries, addressing skills gaps identified by EDCOM 2 and strengthening workforce development in the Philippines. (Merlina Hernando-Malipot / Manila Bulletin)
CHED and TESDA signed a landmark agreement to align curricula for six priority industries, addressing skills gaps identified by EDCOM 2 and strengthening workforce development in the Philippines. (Merlina Hernando-Malipot / Manila Bulletin)
Marking a pivotal step in aligning higher education and technical-vocational training with workforce demands, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Monday, September 15, signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to harmonize curricula for key industries.
The signing of the JMC took place at the Manila Hotel during the “Converge to ACHIEVE: The Higher Education Summit,” organized by CHED.
READ: 
https://mb.com.ph/2025/09/15/ched-unveils-roadmap-for-philippine-higher-education-reform-at-2025-summit
“Today's signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular is a testament to our commitment to a future-proof higher education system,” CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said. “By establishing the Board for Curriculum Standards and Discipline Councils, we are directly addressing critical skills gaps identified by EDCOM 2, ensuring that our graduates are not just degree holders but highly competent professionals ready to meet the demands of our priority industries,” she added.
The agreement establishes a unified body tasked with developing curricula and standards for six priority industry clusters: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
These industries were identified by EDCOM 2 as critical drivers of economic growth but continue to face persistent skills mismatches and workforce shortages.
Unified approach to skills and education reform
Currently, CHED and TESDA maintain separate structures—Technical Panels for higher education and Industry Boards for TVET programs.
Through the JMC, both agencies will collaborate under a new Board for Curriculum Standards and Discipline and Sector Skills Councils (DSSC).
The DSSC will craft five-year industry roadmaps, contribute to the development of the Philippine Skills Frameworks, and design ladderized pathways that allow students to transition seamlessly between technical-vocational education and higher education.
For EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee, the signing of the JMC marks a “significant milestone” in the journey toward a truly integrated and future-ready Philippine education system.
“These agreements are the culmination of intensive collaboration and strategic foresight, directly reflecting EDCOM 2's call to build a ‘working’ education system, with CHED and TESDA collaborating closely to ensure relevant and responsive programs for our students,” Yee said. “This represents a foundational first step for our education sector,” he added.
Future-proofing education and workforce training
For TESDA Director General Kiko Benitez, the collaboration will strengthen the country’s technical-vocational education system.
“This JMC provides the framework to revolutionize technical-vocational education and training, making it more dynamic and responsive to industry needs,” Benitez said. “Working hand in hand with CHED and industry leaders, we will build clear, ladderized pathways for our learners, empowering them with globally competitive skills that drive national development,” he added.
EDCOM 2’s education reform roadmap
The move follows EDCOM 2’s research highlighting the urgent need for stronger inter-agency coordination to address skills gaps and labor market mismatches.
The Commission’s National Education and Workforce Development Plan, set for launch this year, will further outline strategies to create a data-driven, integrated, and competitive education-to-employment system.
With this joint effort, CHED and TESDA aim to bridge gaps between higher education and TVET, ensure the relevance of curricula, and prepare Filipino learners with the skills required by fast-growing industries.

Related Tags

CHED TESDA partnership EDCOM 2 workforce development Philippine education reform 2025 curriculum alignment Philippines skills mismatch solutions priority industries CHED TESDA
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.