Tech-voc students join the cookery category during the regional skills competition that opened on April 9 until April 12. There are 28 students vying for slots in the different trade skills and who may compete in world skills competition in 2020. (Photo courtesy of Carlito Dar/ PIA-CAR)
BAGUIO CITY— The partnership between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region (TESDA-CAR) and the hotels and restaurants in Baguio is proving to be a productive relationship that has been boosting the tourism industry, an executive of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Baguio (HRAB) said on Wednesday.
“Graduates of technical vocational courses augment the industry, provide support and employment opportunity to the TESDA graduates,” Anne Juzette Ruth Toledo said during the opening of the regional skills competition here.
She said HRAB will not be as robust as it is now without the partnership with various schools, organizations and the TESDA.
“We consider TESDA as our partner in the industry and the objective of HRAB is to develop the hospitality and tourism industry and it would not be completed without the help of TESDA in terms of producing quality graduates,” she said.
She added that TESDA and the various TESDA accredited technical-vocational institutions train students while the HRAB members provide them with on-the-job (OJT) training and employment opportunities.
The HRAB is composed of hotels, inns, bars, restaurants, colleges, universities, the Philippine Bartenders’ League (PBL) Baguio chapter, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), travel and tour agencies, radio stations, cable providers and the public transport as members.
Toledo said HRAB president Anthony de Leon, also the Baguio Country Club general manager, hopes TESDA graduates and that of TESDA-accredited tech-voc schools in the region will be trained and employed by the members of the association.
“The mission is to support TESDA graduates by providing an avenue for training and employment opportunities,” Toledo said.
”HRAB has indeed set the standard and bench marking of professionalism in the hospitality industry. We are looking that each one of the graduates will later on become part of the industry,” she added.
Toledo said if a student applies for OJT, the industry does not only look at the education but also whether the person is a holder of a National Certification (NCII) of a certain competency, which is an advantage.
She said a large percentage of the employees of HRAB members are TESDA graduates.
"They compose the average number of employees in the HRAB industry or HRAB members because they are the majority who apply to the HRAB members, and we can see that they have a good training, they are competent and they are on the right field to be in the position," she said.
Vying for world skills competition
TESDA acting regional director Manuel Wong said several graduates have represented the Cordillera in world skills competitions, placing the region on the map of top technical vocational education.
“There were participants from the past years who who qualified for the international competitions coming from the Baguio School of Arts and Trades (BCSAT). There were also representatives to the ASEAN skills competition,” Wong said.
He said BCSAT students Julie Ann Buaken represented the region in cooking category of the ASEAN; and Joshua Lizardo joined the world competition in the restaurant service category.
Wong said the Cordillera excels in the restaurant services, cookery, ICT and carpentry trade skills.
The Cordillera Regional Skills competition opened on April 9 until April 12 with 28 students from the different provinces, vying for the national and world skills competitions.
Wong said each category or trade skill has an equivalent score, and a 700 average points will qualify the student in the medallion of excellence award, making the person eligible for the national, ASEAN and the world skills competition.
The trade skill in the regional competition are cooking, hair dressing, cabinet making, restaurant services, beauty therapy, wall and floor tiling, joinery, welding, IT software solution for business, web design and development and graphic design technology.
Wong said the competition package in the world skills competition is done in the regional competition, to prepare the competitors.
“We are forced to produce the needed equipment which are upgraded in order for the participants to cope with the competition package,” Wong said.
The students will then compete in the zonal and national competitions and will move up to the ASEAN skills competition in Singapore and finally to the world skills competition in China in 2020.
Wong said joining the skills competition is an avenue to recognize work excellence and develop new generation of highly-skilled Filipino workers especially in the Cordillera. (With reports from Janice Dio-as and Rubenson Bilag, OJT/PNA)
