Opening address at the ILO-TESDA National TVET trainers academy train-the-trainers graduation

By Ms Ma. Concepcion Sardaña, Senior Programme Officer on behalf of Mr Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the ILO-TESDA National TVET trainers academy train-the-trainers graduation, 25 March 2021, Manila, Philippines via Zoom

Statement | Manila, Philippines via Zoom | 25 March 2021
  • Secretary Lapeña, Technical Education Skills Development Authority
  • Director Lucas, National TVET Trainers Academy
  • Ms Sakamoto, Senior Skills Specialist, ILO Regional Office in Asia and the Pacific
  • Ms Viloria, National Coordinator of the ILO Women in STEM Project
  • Our training team from the Center for Integrated STEM Education led by Dr Sheryl Monterola
A pleasant morning to all. It is my honour to welcome you today on behalf of our ILO Country Director, Mr Khalid Hassan.

Today marks another milestone for the ILO Women in STEM Workforce Readiness and Development Programme in operationalizing the integration of STEM in TVET. 

In the past few weeks, TVET trainers have worked together to further demonstrate the alignment of STEM competencies with the 21st century skills framework of the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and several ways of supporting the attainment of these competencies through STEM-oriented pedagogies, learning activities, and assessments.

After several synchronous and asynchronous sessions of being immersed in STEM activities and asynchronous tasks, today is a showcase of the work that has been done by trainers in articulating STEM competencies and integrating STEM-oriented pedagogies in session plans and developing Competency-Based Learning Materials (CBLMs) with STEM-oriented learning activities and assessments.

We are very impressed on how all of you have integrated these STEM competencies and learning activities into your respective qualifications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light a lot of challenges in our educational system, and yet it has also opened a new ecosystem of learning. As we have all shifted to the online system of learning, we now face the challenge of finding new ways to learn and also finding new ways to train. 

Through the STEM in TVET learning activities that you have been immersed in the last few weeks, we hope that these tools will enrich and strengthen your own trainings in your respective training centres to ensure that our TVET learners are agile, resilient and competitive in the workplace.

One of the key priorities under the Decent Work Country Programme of the Philippines is to realize productive, remunerative, freely chosen, green and sustainable work opportunities for all Filipinos willing to work. This priority highlights the importance of responsive technical and vocational training programmes. Such training programmes need to focus on the development of STEM competencies that will prepare workers to be agile and resilient in the face of the rapidly changing demands of the future of work.

As we embark this year on our pilot sessions in your respective qualifications, we look forward to learning together with TESDA how we can expand STEM in TVET across all training centres in the country and develop a well-founded TESDA policy on STEM for workforce readiness.

Congratulations to all of you on your good work this month and the pioneer work you are about to do this year as you lead STEM in TVET activities in your training centres and communities.

Maraming salamat at magandang umaga po! (Thank you very much and good morning!)