TESDA spearheads industry forum in Bataan

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is now institutionalizing the industry forum as an effective showcase in determining the manpower requirements of foreign and local investors who are interested to put up manufacturing and commercial enterprises in Bataan.

Ms. Grace Castillo, TESDA-Bataan provincial director, described the forum as an important system to address the expanding necessary capability of highly-skilled labor force in key industry to be set up in the province’s six operational ecozones.

Castillo explained said program has catapulted the category of the locally-trained workers to international level garnering awards and recognitions of excellence to regional competitive skills contest in Asia.

Many companies both local and foreign have extolled the performance of locally-trained workers and dedication to their assigned tasks in the field of electronics and mechanically operated equipment in the Middle East, Europe and America, Castillo said.

She pointed out that TESDA has trained 4,000 scholars and 1,700 youth under the Bottom–up Budgeting in the two manpower centers based in Orion and Mariveles towns.

She added that the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) located in Mariveles, for the last three years, is recognized as the fastest ecozone in the country with the abundant supply of highly trained workers.