MANILA, 4 October 2007 — Graduates of technical and vocational courses who wish to gain academic credits and pursue college education may now do so with the new “ladderized educational curriculum” approved by the government.
Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said that the new system developed recently by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and Commission on Higher Education (Ched), is meant to “close the gaps” in the educational system, giving technical and vocational experts the recognition they deserve.
In the maritime sector, specifically, “this means a greater number of highly trained, productive, and quality Filipino ship officers lessening the shortage in the world’s high seas,” he said.
CHED will be offering bachelor’s degree programs to those taking technical and vocational courses to move up toward officers’ qualifications.
“The new, ladderized educational order of the country will assure world class Filipino workers who are the Pinoy-WOW,” an acronym in reference to the country’s thrust to produce the much sought-after “Pinoy Workers of the World,” he said.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said several vital undertakings being pushed to reinforce and sustain the Philippines’ position as the number one maritime manpower source of the world, and ensure the unfaltering supply of quality, highly skilled seafarers and maritime officers for the global shipping industry.
Brion said the thrusts will be pushed through TESDA, which is the agency responsible for assessing and certifying Filipino maritime workers. “Our thrusts to ensure quality training for seafarers are geared toward strengthening the Philippines’ leadership as the world’s most preferred maritime manpower source through our consistent adherence to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping,” Brion said.
He added that the global choice for Filipino seafarers continues, with the total sea-based contracts processed per worker by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration expected to hit the 300,000 mark this year, after increasing by 15.9 percent from 241,522 in the same period in 2006, to 279,922 from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2007.
Brion earlier noted a preliminary report that Tesda had assisted in the country’s maritime thrusts by assessing and successfully certifying a total of 15,136 maritime workers from January to March this year, on top of 78,477 last year.
Rogelio Peyuan, Tesda deputy director general for field operations, said that the agency’s thrusts include the review and enhancement of maritime training, assessment and certification procedures, continuous improvement of the quality assurance system, and computerization.
Peyuan said that to maintain the country’s dominance in the market, “it is TESDA’s responsibility to maintain the credibility and integrity of the maritime training, assessment, and certification system,” adding that the agency had recently undergone audit by the DOLE-led Maritime Training Council.
In order to safeguard the authenticity and integrity of certified overseas Filipino seafarers, he said that Tesda will computerize the assessment and certification to allow online verification of documents and establish “a 100 percent reliable database.”
