A new regional office for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is set to be built in Tacloban City, with a budget of PHP48.22 million. This development aims to cater to the growing number of TESDA clients in the area. The construction site is located within the TESDA office complex in Abucay village, as announced by Vivian Abueva, the Assistant Regional Director of TESDA Eastern Visayas. The upcoming three-story building will include spaces for the three divisions of the TESDA regional office, along with meeting areas and conference rooms. The completion of this project is anticipated by June 2025, and it will replace the current 36-year-old office.
The TESDA field office in Tacloban currently offers five major scholarship programs. The most popular among these is the Training for Work Scholarship Program, designed to address the demand for highly critical skills both domestically and internationally. Another initiative, the Private Education Student Financial Assistance, provides financial support to underprivileged yet deserving students pursuing non-degree courses after high school. Additionally, the Special Training for Employment Program focuses on community-based training to meet specific local skill requirements and boost employment through entrepreneurial, self-employment, and service-oriented activities.
TESDA also supports students through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program, which offers free tuition and other fees at state and local universities and colleges, as well as state-run technical vocational institutions. To combat unemployment and the job-skill mismatch, the Tulong Trabaho Scholarship Program provides targeted training to qualified individuals. This year, TESDA has successfully enrolled 57,706 trainees through its partnerships with schools, communities, and establishments, with 96 percent of them achieving skilled certification through competency assessments.