TESDA taps AI platform Bossjob to match graduates with employers
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is integrating an artificial intelligence-powered recruitment engine into its digital infrastructure to accelerate the employment of vocational graduates, part of a broader government effort to modernize the Philippine labor market.
The agency, known as TESDA, partnered with Bossjob, a Southeast Asian career platform, to power the newly launched "Skills Passport" mobile application. The initiative aims to bridge the "middle-skills gap" identified by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, where vocational training often lags behind the rapidly shifting requirements of priority sectors such as digital services and renewable energy.
The partnership, unveiled at a ceremony in San Juan City attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., allows the government to utilize Bossjob’s anonymized platform data to track labor market trends. This information includes geographic hiring patterns and compensation data, which the agency plans to use to calibrate its training curricula. President Marcos Jr. described the application as a digital storage system for scholars to verify national certificates and training records.
Current data from the agency indicates that demand for certified talent is most concentrated in wholesale and retail trading, information and communications technology, and the tourism and hospitality sectors. Other high-growth areas include healthcare, agriculture, and the creative industries. Despite the high volume of postings, matching these graduates with the right employers has remained a bottleneck for the state-run vocational system.
By embedding Bossjob’s AI matching engine into the government app, verified certifications are transformed into real-time assets for employers. To maintain the integrity of the database and prevent credential fraud, the platform requires registration via the Philippine Identification System, or PhilSys. This ensures that data from accredited training centers is instantly verified for recruiters.
Anthony Garcia, co-founder of Bossjob, said the integration provides graduates with immediate access to job opportunities, reducing the friction typically found in the transition from training to the workforce. The company, which has been collaborating with the agency’s National Capital Region office since 2024, also provides career coaching and resume optimization for students.
While university degrees remain the traditional path for many in the Philippines, vocational graduates often command earning potential comparable to undergraduates in specialized technical roles. The digital integration is expected to formalize this segment of the labor market, ensuring that industry-ready talent is matched with specific vacancies across the archipelago.