The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) strengthened its partnership with the technical-vocational education and training (TVET) providers in Negros Occidental amid the challenges for better implementation of the agency’s programs.

“This should be the story of TVET. It should be responsive, relevant, innovative, and resilient,” TESDA 6 (Western Visayas) Director Florencio Sunico said in a statement on Tuesday after a recent meeting with officials and representatives of 54 providers in the province.

Sunico met with about 100 attendees from the Association of Technical Institutions of Negros Occidental (ATINO) led by VMA Global College and Training Centers, Inc. vice president Carlitos Orola in a forum on Sept. 26.

TESDA gave TVET institutions updates and guidance on the plans and directions of TESDA in the next five years, their issues and concerns regarding the implementation of programs, and new issuances.

Sunico urged the association to develop an action plan for quality TVET.

“If there is only one thing TESDA or TVET can do that the other agencies cannot, it is that we are trying to change the lives of individuals through skills. It is you who will create your future, and that will be the task of ATINO in the next few years,” he said.

Institutions comprising the ATINO offer training programs registered with the TESDA, such as contact center services, bread and pastry production, cookery, wellness massage, housekeeping, massage therapy, shielded metal arc welding, bookkeeping, organic agriculture production, automotive servicing, caregiving, and food and beverage services.

TESDA-Negros Occidental Director Niña Connie Dodd discussed with the administrators, technical-vocational institution representatives, registrars, and processing officers the System for TVET Accreditation and Recognition or STAR, which recognizes programs that have exceeded the minimum requirements of program registration.

She also encouraged them to strive for the Seal of Integrity granted to accredited assessment centers that consistently adhered to operating procedures and quality management principles of TESDA. (PNA)