MANILA -- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in partnership with the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), will train 2,000 aspiring construction supervisors, TESDA Secretary Guiling Mamondiong said Tuesday afternoon.
"We will implement this nationwide. So the supervisors and those who would apply for a supervisory position in the construction industry from any part of the country may apply for this training," Mamondiong told Philippine News Agency (PNA).
He clarified, however, that applicants need to pass some entree requirements to avail of the training.
TESDA is currently revising a curriculum for this. Apart from TESDA-accredited schools, this curriculum can also be offered in PCA's schools, as well as in other private institutions, Mamondiong said, reiterating that this should be implemented nationwide.
It is a Competency Standard requirement in the construction industry, he said.
TESDA targets to train at least 150 aspiring supervisors within the year, and has allotted PHP2 million for this.
For the 2,000 trainees, the budget is PHP30 million, Mamondiong said.
"We don't have a problem with the budget. We estimate that about PHP1.5 million to PHP2 million will be needed for this within the year," he said, emphasizing that the PHP30 million will all go to the cost of training, and that no infrastructure construction is involved in this budget.
"We have the schools. We can tap our assessment centers. The PHP30 million will be for the cost of the nationwide training," Mamondiong clarified.
While the PCA did not commit any monetary amount, it will provide the training in the enterprise setting.
Meanwhile, Mamondiong said he thinks 500 to 1,000 of the 2,000 trainees are immediately needed to help in the government's "Build, Build, Build" program. "We need trainees, assessors for the construction industry," he said.
TESDA has been prioritizing the provision of free training or infrastructure-related technical and vocational education and training, as the "Build, Build, Build" program requires about 200,000 construction workers.
"Maybe, it would take three to five years to train 2,000 individuals," Mamondiong said.
He also said that as part of helping the government in its "Build, Build, Build" program, TESDA has already assessed more than 1,000 construction workers to date. (PNA)
