TAFT, Eastern Samar — The country gears up preparations to host the 14th ASEAN WorldSkills Competition in 2025 which will be spearheaded by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Gamaleil Vicente Jr., TESDA-8 regional director, challenged the competitors in the Eastern Samar Provincial Skills Competition 2023 to do their best in their respective areas in order to qualify in the Regional Competition up to the ASEAN WorldSkills Competition, bringing forth not only the name of the institutions they represent but also the name of the country in the international tilt.
“You are not competing against each other, instead you are competing against the standards set forth by the World Skills,” Regional Director Vicente reminded the competitors.
Vicente also encouraged the audience “to share their experiences and inspire the youth to train at TESDA, highlighting that technical vocational skills are in demand nowadays.”
This year’s provincial skills competition, held on August 9-10 at the Samar National School of Arts and Trades (SNSAT), Taft, Eastern Samar, showcased students from 18 public and private Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs) in the province to compete in 12 areas such as welding, information network cabling, cooking, restaurant services, electrical installation, bakery, plumbing and heating, fashion technology, landscape gardening, carpentry,web technologies, and demo on concoctions.
Philippine Councilors League Regional President and Board Member RV Evardone, who represented his father, Eastern Samar Governor Ben P. Evardone, commended TESDA for producing competent graduates who are prime movers in the employment sectors all over the world.
The PCL President also shared his insights on how competitions further reveal a contestant’s skills while being exposed in a time-pressured manner. “Surprisingly, competitions develop our skills further as we are exposed to pressure. Apart from this, we also enjoy the experience and the lessons we get from it,” the young PCL President added.
A Chain-Breaking Ceremony led by Board Member Evardone, Regional Director Vicente, Provincial Director Antonio Waniwan, and Taft Mayor Gina Ty, kicked off the provincial skills competition. This symbolizes TESDA’s encapsulation of skills, breaking of learning barriers, and forging the standards of technical vocational education in the country.
The awarding of certificates and cash prizes for the winners was held on August 10, with the host school SNSAT besting all other training institutions for winning 4 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze.
Princess Janine Gaylon, 17 years old, a competitor from the TESDA Provincial Training Center – Eastern Samar who won Bronze in Bread and Pastry Production and the youngest participant in the Skills Competition, was elated with the results and looked forward to joining the Skills Competition in the future.
