TESDA targets over 600,000 graduates for 2026

The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TESDA) said on Wednesday that over 600,000 graduates will complete their training this year, as the agency expands access to its programs.

“The budget that we got given for 2026 will allow us to have around 630,000 to 650,000 scholarship slots, so we assume that those will be the graduates for this year,” TESDA Director General Jose Francisco B. Benitez told reporters in a press briefing.

“We are thankful to the President that this is the largest education budget in the history of the Philippines,” he added.

TESDA offers about 20,000 training programs through different modalities, including its digital platforms, such as its Skills Passport. “We did all of this to increase the access of Filipinos to the training that we provide,” said Mr. Benitez.

“We believe that when every Filipino is given additional skills and opportunities to develop their capabilities, our nation will continue to progress,” he added in Filipino.

The TESDA Skills Passport enables users and employers to access digital certificates through a quick response (QR) code. The application also shows the nearest TESDA programs, schools, and assessment centers.

“You can find everything that you are looking for about TESDA and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) ecosystem within the application,” Mr. Benitez said.

The agency said the programs that see a high influx of students are construction, tourism and hospitality, information and communications technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, and healthcare.

“The demand actually is not just for local, but also for global. So in truth, it’s the same key employment-generating sectors,” Mr. Benitez said.

In addition to TESDA graduates, about 1.7 million Filipinos graduate annually from TVET programs. “They’re not technically graduates, but they have access to the training as well,” said Mr. Benitez.

TESDA said it aims to further boost its employment rate through a micro-credentialing system and enterprise-based education.

“If there are four new competencies in a certification, we’re going to do micro-credentialing because the mismatch is only incremental,” Mr. Benitez said in Filipino.

“In enterprise-based education, the enterprise, the industry itself, is part of the training plan design so that we can be sure that the training plan aligns with what they need,” he added.

On average, the TESDA chief noted that the employability rate of TESDA graduates across sectors ranges from 83% to 86%. However, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) report found that only 38% of TVET graduates found jobs six months after completing their studies. — Almira Louise S. Martinez