PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The construction work has commenced for the ₱36.9 million regional technical vocational education and training (TVET) innovation center of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) for learning innovation and strengthened quality of work in MIMAROPA.
Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez said that skills training to be provided by the center will help innovate the sectors of tourism, hospitality management, and agriculture needed in the growing demand.
Benitez led the groundbreaking ceremony on April 26 at the Puerto Princesa School of Arts and Trade (PPSAT).
“It is designed, in fact, to go from farm to table. To do both agriculture and tourism, as well as the attendant hotel and restaurant supply chains that make it part of the entire ecosystem. Because it is about innovation, it has to do with the latest types of training, digital if needed innovation,” he said.
The center will be funded from TESDA Capital Outlay 2023, amounting to ₱36,999,661.79. It was awarded to Square Cube Construction/Jomara Kontruct JV.
The two-storey building, with a roof deck inside the PPSAT compound, is expected to be completed by August 2025.
The center will play a role in achieving global competitiveness and workforce readiness through leveling up the development of competency standards and innovative TVET curricula. It aims to promote technology research and innovations that will lead to business incubation projects.
TESDA will also integrate and promote entrepreneurship in the TVET delivery system.
“We will ensure that we will have a globally competitive workforce that will address the requirements of industries,” TESDA Provincial Director Gerardo Mercado said.
Puerto Princesa City is considered a strategic location as one of the sites of the 17 regional TVET innovation centers across the country. The innovation center will also cater to learners from other provinces of the region.
TESDA underwent consultations and deliberations with stakeholders, including those in the Halal sector, as it considered the needs and demands of the local economy. It views shifts in industry and technology as emerging gaps that necessitate ongoing module and training development.
Collaboration with stakeholders is needed to attain poverty reduction, economic expansion, and workforce development, said Benitez.
“The supply value chain of agri to tourism is part of it (focus of innovation). Agri and tourism are primary sectors for Palawan specifically,” he added.
TESDA is also considering the area-based, demand-driven framework to ensure the sustainability of training programs for developing skills for locals. It brings TVET programs closer to barangays and builds strong partnerships with local government units, various government agencies, and the private sector. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
