“TESDA has been transformational…”- Sec. Joel Villanueva

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) chief Joel Villanueva disclosed that 70 percent of graduates from technical-vocational institutes land jobs here and abroad, attributing the high employability to the support of the national and provincial government.

Villanueva, fondly called TESDAMan, lauded the administration of President Aquino which he said has transformed thousands of lives down to local units through well-compensating jobs. “TESDA has been transformational, delightful transformation. We have many skilled graduates who are now earning up to P200,000 abroad,” he said during the awarding ceremony of the 2015 Provincial Skills Competition and mass graduation yesterday in Bataan People’s Center.

The former lawmaker also commended longtime friend Governor Albert Garcia for successfully enabling jobs generation in the province which topped before the national assessment for tech-voc education turned employment. “I was discussing with my friend Abet how productive it is here in Bataan. With the support of one of the best provincial directors, graduates here enjoy high-paying jobs locally and abroad,” Villanueva said, first referring to Garcia then to TESDA-Bataan Director Grace Castillo.

These graduates of tech-voc courses have been getting a multitude of opportunities in the province’s various economic zones, especially in the Freeport Area of Bataan and the Hermosa Economic Zone, Garcia said.

The governor said these engines of growth are supplied with a steady flow of skilled workers coming from TESDA. “Students do not find it a hard time to get jobs because various industries here are continuously hiring. We are hugely thankful for Secretary Joel and to TESDA for making it sure that we produce the best of workforce,” Garcia said.

Villanueva, together with Garcia, Castillo and TESDA Region 3 Director Ted Gatchalian, led the mass graduation of about 1,800 students, and the awarding of the winners of the skills competition.

Earlier, the TESDA chief conferred the second batch of scholarships for the TESDA Mobile Bus in Dinalupihan town.