Tesda offers free vocational trainings in Benguet towns

By Ferlyn Eslao

KAPANGAN, Benguet – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is offering free vocational trainings and many trainees have gone on to start and manage successful businesses.
    In this town, despite the pandemic, students of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under its bread and pastry production and driving national certificate NC2 programs finished their training here and are set for assessment.
    According to Jaime Calatan, information officer, TESDA Kapangan is offering six registered programs.
    These include Carpentry NC2, Masonry NC1 and NC2, BPP NC2, Driving NC2, Contract Tracing Level 1, and Organic Agriculture Practice (OAP).
    Students are trained for 39 days for carpentry, 27 days for masonry NC1, 33 days for masonry NC2, 18 days for BBP, 15 days for driving and contract tracing, and 29 days for OAP.
    “As of now, Masonry NC1 and NC2 will follow. Enrollment is ongoing wherein there are 15 slots allotted for it,” he added.
    Calatan said anyone can enroll in TESDA programs as long as he or she is 18 years old and a high school graduate.
    The student undergoes three stages of assessment. First, a written exam, followed by an oral interview and practical or actual demo. 
    TESDA helped a lot of people, Calatan said.
    For example, Mitchel Capulo, one of TESDA graduates, said she was grateful for the opportunity. “Man-iyaman ak iman tan ado di naadal ko ay skills et nay maiap-apply ko sin business ko. Nay kaasi na et ado eman di order et nay makaganganansya ak eman."
    Through the training, she was able to build her own booming business which is the The Kayo Man Café located at Cayapes, Kapangan.
    In addition to the said programs, there is an ongoing construction of a TESDA Provincial Training Center for Benguet here which started on Feb. 11, 2021 which will cater the 13 municipalities of Benguet.
    On the other hand, TESDA is continuously offering various programs in different areas in the province.
    Itogon is reportedly offering motorcade repair and maintenance, masonry and driving NC2.
In Bakun, there are BBP and community-based training as well as organic agriculture production NC2 and cosmic farm in La Trinidad.
    "As for the other municipalities, the local government unit can coordinate with TESDA so that they can go and provide training for them or they can come to Kapangan to enroll," Calatan added.
    There are many available courses that anyone can choose.
    Calatan said students who are interested can visit and inquire to their office at Lomon, Paykek Kapangan Mondays to Fridays.