MANILA, Philippines — The UNESCO-UNEVOC 2004 Bonn Declaration states that technical and vocational education/training is intended for poverty alleviation, promotion of peace, and environmental conservation in order to improve human quality of life and boost sustainable development. It is recognized that the principal route out of poverty is work, which can be had through education, specifically technical and vocational education that can generate employment and/or foster self-employment. This can be realized through entrepreneurship, sustainable livelihood, technical skills development, and advanced ICT skills.

On the regional level, the Colombo Plan, an organization of 26 countries, performs the aforementioned tasks through its Staff College by way of assisting third-world countries in the Asia Pacific region develop and enhance their technician education systems. The vision of the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) “is to undertake capacity building program to improve the quality of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems.” One of its main functions is providing courses to enhance professional education and training of persons with key supporting roles for the development of TVET.

In our country, the government acknowledges that education is indeed the best way out of poverty. However, there are at least two major issues that confront the educational system: the increasing number of drop-outs at both the elementary and secondary levels and the rising unemployment rate due to the mismatch between industry needs and academic course offerings. Moreover, there is the existing bias against technical and vocational education and blue collar jobs.

For this reason, Republic Act 7796, the Technical Education and Skills Development Act, was promulgated in 1994. Thus, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) came into being. It integrated the former Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC), Bureau of Technical and Vocational Education (BTVE) of the Department of Education and Apprenticeship Program of the Department of Labor and Employment. The law mandates TESDA to establish and maintain a system of accrediting, coordinating, integrating, monitoring and evaluating the different technical-vocational educational and training programs. In 2009, there were 3,825 TVET providers around the country and 14,627 TESDA-registered programs.

With the intention of popularizing technical-vocational education, the Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program (STVEP), initiated by the Tech-Voc Task Force, was launched in SY 2007-2008, pursuant to the Education for All global movement, the Philippine Millennium Goals, the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan, and the 10-point agenda of the government.

Be that as it may, there are very few institutions which offer quality technical-vocational courses. Three of the more prestigious and in-demand courses are those offered by the MFI Foundation (formerly Meralco Foundation), Don Bosco Technical College, and Dualtech Training Center Foundation, Inc.

MFI Foundation’s flagship program is the Industrial Technician Program (ITP), a post-secondary certificate program which equips students with appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be highly competent technicians. ITP has various areas of specialization such as electrical technology, electronics technology, instrumentation technology, tool and die technology, and information technology. It also offers two-year certificate courses in automotive and motorcycle technology, industrial mechatronics technology, refrigeration and air-conditioning technology and network administration technology.

The Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) offers technical-vocational training for out-of-school male youth. Its Manpower Skills Training Center, the umbrella of technical education and manpower skills of DBTC, offers a 15-month technical-vocational training and certificate course consisting of a 10-month “in-service” training and a 5-month supervised “in-plant” training. It offers four courses namely, fitter machinist, general electrician, refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic and industrial electronics.

Dualtech Training Center Foundation, Inc. (DTCFI) or Dualtech started in Manila in 1982. It provides technical-vocational training to low-income groups, particularly unskilled workers, underprivileged high school graduates, and deserving out-of-school youths. Its sole training course, Electromechanics Technology (Maintenance Skills Training), which runs for 24 months has been jointly developed and implemented by Dualtech and partner companies. The first six months are spent in training centers while the next 18 months are spent alternately, one day in the center and five days in the factory. The course covers basic skills (measuring, technical drawing, basic electronics, industrial safety, computer literacy), advanced skills (industrial motors, digital electronics, pneumatic controls, sensor technology, refrigeration and air conditioning), and values formation (study and work habits, basic Christian doctrine, and personal development).

All the aforementioned schools cater to applicants who are poor but deserving. They must be Filipino citizens, 17-22 years old, high school graduates, physically and mentally fit and with an annual family income of not more than R120,000 based on ITR or tax exemption certificate. They are required to present their high school card, birth certificate, and they must pass the written and oral examinations.

Many technical-vocational schools offer popular courses such as care giving, home care aide, practical nursing, language training, cosmetology, dressmaking, computer secretarial, computer repair and servicing, paralegal practice, and many others. However, there are less popular but challenging, interesting, and practical short courses of six-month to three-year duration offered in Metro Manila schools, which award training certificates upon completion of the course and which interested students and out-of-school youth can enrol in. These can be classified into the following categories: technical (welding, drafting, crane operation, pipe installing, ship yard welding, air craft maintenance technician, footwear manufacturing technician, consumer electronics technician, refrigeration and air conditioning technician); health and allied medical profession (dental hygiene, alternative medicine, pharmacy technician, dental laboratory technician, chiropractic, child and babysitting safety); food and hotel (housekeeping, room attendant, fundamental professional baking and pastry, catering management, food technology, hot kitchen cooking, barista); finance and business (financial accounting, bookkeeping, grassroots entrepreneurship, business office technology for women, travel technician); and technology (animation, jewellery, souvenir making).

This point of view should counteract the common belief that a college diploma guarantees employment. On the contrary. There is an influx of graduates every year who end up being unemployed. Courses are usually forced on students by their parents and the choice is based on current trends. A very good example is Nursing. Due to the desire of many to go abroad and improve their lives, thousands upon thousands of students apply to the course without thinking if the demand will still be there by the time they graduate. The result is that 700,000 nursing graduates are jobless now.

The need for technical-vocational education should be emphasized, intensified, and extensively promoted. Proper dissemination to the public should be done to stop the proliferation of unemployed college degree holders and to start underscoring and appreciating the advantages of technical-vocational courses.

Technical vocation is not only in demand in the market today. It also encourages entrepreneurship and enhances livelihood opportunities in individuals. With proper orientation and facilitation, reinforcing technical-vocational courses will be beneficial to the Filipino masses.

Kudos to the Department of Education for recognizing this need and incorporating it in the K to 12 program. It is a good start to bring awareness of the benefits, specifically economic growth, that technical-vocational courses will bring to the country in general and to the individual Filipino in particular. But the drive should be sustained with unrelenting commitment.

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