TESDA SCHOLARSHIP. Baking and other technical-vocational courses can be availed for free under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholarship program. For 2019, TESDA-Cordillera is giving scholarship assistance to around 1,900 students interested to take up technical-vocational courses. (File photo by Carlito Dar/PIA-CAR)
BAGUIO CITY -- The Technical Education Skills Development Authority in the Cordillera Administrative Region (TESDA-CAR) still has 1,549 scholarship slots for technical-vocational courses that can be availed of until September this year.
"The scholarship is open to students who are at least 18 years old who finished high school," said Jaime Calatan, Technical Education and Skills Specialist of TESDA-CAR on Tuesday.
He said the region has an allocation of 1,900 scholarship slots for the entire year. From January to end of April, there were already 351 scholarships availed of for different technical-vocational courses.
In 2018, 419 scholars availed of the educational grant. The grantees finished their training and received their National Certification after taking up technical-vocational courses at the Regional Training School in Loakan, the Baguio School of Arts and Trades and various other technical-vocational institutions which have been accredited by the TESDA.
The trainings can be obtained from TESDA training centers or from its accredited private institutions.
Calatan said there are three available scholarships that TESDA is offering: the Training for Work Scholarship Programs (TWSP), Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA), and Special Training for Employed Program (STEP).
TWSP provides immediate interventions to meet the need for highly critical skills for higher level of technology.
He said the program is in response to the clamor of industry to address the critical skills shortages in priority sectors, particularly the Business Process Outsourcing, metals and engineering, construction and tourism, among others.
PESFA is an educational grant to marginalized but deserving students in post-secondary non-degree courses while STEP is a community-based specialty training program that addresses the specific skills needs of the communities and promote employment, particularly through entrepreneurial, self-employment and service-oriented activities.
Training programs offered are generally short-term or modules based on the Training Regulations promulgated by TESDA.
Calatan said aside from training, TESDA assesses the skills of the trainees to allow them to acquire a National Certificate (NC) that is recognized even by foreign countries.
Calatan said each tech-voc skill has corresponding hours of training required prior to undergoing the national certification. Aside from short courses, TESDA also has courses that require more training hours.
“The Regional Training Center in Baguio will be offering a three year diploma on Mechanical Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology to qualified applicants in August 2018,” he said.
Calatan said that an enrollee must be 18 years old and at least a high school graduate to avail of the scholarship.
“We are prioritizing students who are undergraduate to avail our scholarship under the TVET program,” he said.
Applicants are required to bring two passport-size identification pictures, photocopy of birth certificate, medical certificate, and undergraduate credentials for easier facilitation of their registration. (PNA)
