Mindanao techvoc sector crafts roadmap for 2010-2015
DAVAO CITY— Amid the emerging realities and challenges facing the country’s human resource, a five-year roadmap for Mindanao
The PAHRDF is a five-year, Php 2.3 billion (A$60 million) initiative of the Australian government through AusAID. The facility aims to assist national and local government agencies, academic institutions and private organizations in addressing key organizational needs. It also enables them to provide better services and institutional management through short and long-term human resource development programs.
In a launching ceremony held here on 23 November, Ms. Joji Ilagan-Bian MinTVET chair presented the highlights of the roadmap to stakeholders from TVET institutions, business sectors and concerned government agencies.
The MinTVET roadmap targets workers in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and in the agri-fishery sector as new training segments and focuses on improving the marketability or acceptability of graduates based on hiring requirements of increasingly discriminating traditional job markets.
Bian said the roadmap is the first of its kind in establishing a positioning strategy to ensure the long-term survival and viability of private Technical-Vocational Institutions (TVIs) in Mindanao.
“We also want to develop technopreneurs as well as encourage industries to open their doors and businesses to accept TVET graduates for areas of work that would require certain levels and skills.” she said.
The MinTVET Association noted Mindanao’s vast human resource as an important factor in the region’s continuous progress and expressed its support for the creation of the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework plan.
Key stakeholders and partners from TVET institutions, business sectors and concerned government agencies pinpoint elements of the MinTVET Roadmap to provide with funding, capability-building and advocacy support, during the roadmap launching's open gallery walk. The leading implementors of the roadmap include the MinTVET Association, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.(DCCCII). MEDCo
The outputs of the roadmap will be incorporated into the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework Plan currently being formulated by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) as an updated framework plan shall guide peace and development efforts in the island-region for the next 10 years. Usec. Virgilio Leyretana, chairman of MEDCo said that the MinTVET roadmap represents the TVET sector’s thrust in accelerating its socio-economic development and its commitment for quality assured education and training.
“By integrating similar regional efforts into MEDCo’s consultations we will be able to come up with the first milestone development of the Framework Plan, the Mindanao Peace and Development Agenda.” Leyretana said.
Bian emphasized that the roadmap will make the Framework plan a more reliable tool for investors to use for development planning in the region.
“We are very happy that MEDCo will look at the MinTVET roadmap and really implicate it in the Mindanao 2020 because it will encourage more investors to come to Mindanao.” she said. MEDCo
The public is well aware of the publicity of the President Gloria Scholarship (PGS) program which was implemented by the Honorable Boboy Syjuco. This program was intended to provide training and employment for about eight hundred thousand (800, 000) beneficiaries/participants. This program has in fact created so much public interest because of the television promotional advertisements showing the Honorable Syjuco dancing to the beat of the popular Sarah Geronimo’s music. We read from a newspaper report that Ms. Geronimo has already been justly compensated with a few million pesos as talent fee for her services. The newspaper also reported that she was in fact paid in advance for a few more commercials that she will create in the future. This is commendable.
With the prodding of TESDA we, the administrators of small vocational/technical schools, eagerly participated in the training aspect providing our best methods, facilities and trainors as our humble contribution to this noble objective. The training guideline provided by TESDA stipulated that we will be paid for our services in tranches to begin during the training period. It also stipulated that the training participants will similarly be paid their allowances. Sadly, it has been almost five (5) months since the completion of the training in November 2009 and we are yet to receive the compensation for our rendered services. For several times now, TESDA has promised to pay us.
From the article written by the Honorable Syjuco himself, “What an experience TESDA has been!”, 5.6 billion pesos were allocated for the PGS program for the year 2009. With this size of budget, we cannot find any reason why we could not be paid our just compensation. And we are puzzled.