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MANILA, May 14 — The online distance learning program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has attracted at least 4,000 students learning various technical vocational and training (TVET) courses online.
TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said he hopes the program will entice more Filipinos in the country and abroad to register and learn online.
“We would like to reach as many Filipinos as possible with the help of information communication technology. If for some constraints they cannot go to a school or training center, then TESDA will come to them,” said Villanueva.
Villanueva led the formal launch of TESDA’s online program today at TESDA's main office in Taguig City.
Villanueva said TVET courses can now be taken not just from a school or training center, but from the home, the workplace, or where it is convenient for the students with the aid of a computer.
He said with the TESDA Online Program (TOP), Filipinos abroad can have access to the agency’s courses.
Through distance learning, even workers currently employed can develop new skills by enrolling in qualifications that would fit in their schedule.
Villanueva said the online program would expand TESDA’s reach, complementing the services and programs offered by the agency’s training institutions all over the country.
Four online courses are currently available, namely: Computer Hardware Servicing NC II, Room Service Attendant (leading to Food and Beverage Services NCII), Guest Room Servicing (leading to Housekeeping NCII) and Cell Phone Repair Servicing (leading to Consumer Electronics Servicing NCII).
Villanueva said they target to offer a total of 10 courses within the year as part of the continuous development of the online education program.
The online program had its soft launch in December 2011, gathering a total of 4,153 users.
Of this number, 803 are enrolled in Computer Hardware Servicing, 223 in Room Attendant Servicing, 61 in Guest Room Attendant Servicing, and 37 in Cellular Phone Servicing.
Jonathan Luzano, one of those who took the course and passed the assessment, got an instant job as desktop/laptop computer technician after finishing the online course.
“The big advantage for me was it certified me as a computer technician not like before when I am just a technician with an experience. When someone asks me now, I proudly tell them that I am an NCII holder of TESDA,” he said.
Odilon Gundan, 32, is a graduate of Computer Engineering, but decided to enroll in Computer Hardware Servicing to gain additional knowledge.
Both Luzano and Gundan said they found out about the online program by surfing the TESDA website.
Source:http://balita.ph/2012/05/14/tesda-launches-online-distance-learning-program/
