SINCE its establishment in 1994, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has been severely lacking in offering higher-level qualifications programs, a recent hearing by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found.
During the hearing, which is part of the Commission’s mandate to review the charters of the three education agencies of the government, EDCOM officials noted that the bulk of TEDSDA’s program offerings are NC II, which are considered low-level.
A study by Ateneo-EDCOM 2 Fellow Christopher Chua showed that NC IV programs number only 26 (or 0.16% of all training programs in the country), compared to the more-than-12,000 NC II programs currently being offered.
While TESDA offers a small number of NC V programs, agency officials have noted that these still lack assessment mechanisms. “There is no NC V per se, because there is no assessment test…There is a Level 5 under the PQF (Philippine Qualifications Framework), but there is no assessment tool from TESDA to provide it. So there is a resultant certification that is given [under PQF]”, TESDA Director General Kiko Benitez said.
Under the Philippine Qualifications Framework, Level 5 or NC V is positioned at the fifth level within the framework’s eight-level structure. These programs are designed to equip individuals with a comprehensive set of skills, enabling them to work with some independence and contribute to problem-solving in their chosen fields
EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo urged the agency to find solutions, saying, “Maybe Sec. Kiko, it’s about time to put a halt to all these various programs that you have, and focus really on the really high-yielding NCs. Maybe that would be a good legacy for your time at TESDA”.
Beyond the lack of number of high-level programs, EDCOM 2 officials also noted the lack of quality in high-level programs currently being offered. TESDA diploma programs are designed for individuals seeking to acquire multiple skills and enhance their employability. However, the Commission noted that, for most of these programs, TESDA has merely grouped, or “bundled”, certifications to create these higher-level qualifications. According to TESDA, there are 700-plus diploma programs currently available nationwide.
“Is there no structure, template, or basic parameters of NC’s being bundled into diplomas?”, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee asked. “Who vets quality? Who makes sure what diploma programs look like, and whether they are in line with standards under the Philippine Quality Framework (PQF)?”
TESDA Deputy Director General Roseanna Urdaneta explained that a pilot test of the system was conducted between 2016 and 2019. During that time, TESDA allowed TVIs to develop diploma programs. However, six years later, TESDA is still conducting monitoring to check for their quality.
“If what is existing in the market are poor-quality diploma programs, then it mars TESDA’s credibility to offer high-level skills”, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mary Yee said. “It is actually commendable that TESDA has a lane to approve customized programs as it provides space for innovation— but this must be quality assured,” he continued.
Rep. Roman prodded the agency to pursue higher quality diploma programs. “‘Yung Cookery, ano ang maukuhuha noon sa [PQF Level 5] – they get the title of Chef already?…Dapat doon tayo patungo, [sa higher level NC’s]. Kasi sayang talaga ang oras ng individual”, he said.
Republic Act No. 7796, or the TESDA Act of 1994, had mandated TESDA to provide accessible high quality technical education and skills development that would be responsive to the country’s development goals and priorities. This was in response to the first EDCOM’s previously identified persistent coordination problems within the TVET sector, marked by a lack of unified mechanisms to streamline vocational education initiatives, fragmented agency roles leading to duplicated efforts and inefficiencies, and overall coordination challenges.
Thirty years on, however, quality challenges persist across TVET institutions, evidenced by outdated or under-resourced facilities and curricula that do not align with market needs, leaving students unprepared for jobs. This has resulted in a significant skills-job mismatch, a chronic shortage of skilled workers, and widespread employer dissatisfaction due to poor alignment between TVET output and job requirements.
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