In a significant boost to technical vocational education in Central Visayas, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA-7) has successfully certified 14,518 scholars in various technical and vocational skills. This achievement was announced by Floro Ringco, the assistant regional director and Cebu provincial director of TESDA-7, during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum held on Tuesday.
Since the beginning of the Marcos administration until December 15, 2024, TESDA-7 has approved a total of 40,756 scholarship slots. During the same timeframe, the agency reported that 38,111 individuals enrolled in diverse technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs across the region.
The Central Visayas region hosts a robust network of TVET providers, offering 1,195 programs through 300 institutions. The distribution of these programs across the provinces is as follows: Cebu with 760 programs, Bohol with 198, Negros Oriental with 196, and Siquijor with 41.
To support the certification process, TESDA-7 employs 566 assessors working across 133 assessment centers, facilitating the issuance of National Certifications at levels I, II, III, and IV.
Ringco expressed gratitude towards the eight industry boards, local government units, and private organizations that have been instrumental in supporting TESDA-7’s efforts in technical vocational education and competency assessments.
Additionally, Ringco highlighted the significant contribution of the Cebu provincial government, which has allocated PHP100 million for each of the first three seasons of a scholarship program, and plans to increase this to PHP200 million for the fourth season next year.