The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Antique provincial office is conducting a skills mapping to determine competencies that they need to offer in responding to industry demand.

TESDA Antique provincial director Glenford Prospero said he met with the industry sector and the local government units (LGUs) to match the skills training offered by the academe or the technical vocational institutions (TVI) with the demand.

“TESDA is coming into the picture for the contextualization of the curriculum and the demand of the industry,” he said in an interview on Thursday.

Prospero said there is a demand for skilled workers in agriculture, automation, and tourism, as a result of his meeting with the Community Training and Employment Coordinators (CTEC) and the LGUs on Jan. 28.

He said that since Antique is an agriculture-based province, there should be more skills training on the new farming technologies, as well as on automation, like driving lessons and repair of vehicles, and tour guiding for the tourism industry.

“Antique has a booming tourism destination because of its airport and seaports,” he added.

Prospero said he would recommend the mapped-out skills as part of their policy review in their central office for consideration in their top 10 priority skills they will offer in Antique.

He added addressing the gap between skills training and the demand in the industry will improve employment outcomes and uplift the level of the workforce. (PNA)