Future skilled professionals from 11 trade areas showcase their talents during the three-day Ilocos Norte’s Provincial Skills Olympics, which began at a mall here Tuesday.

Organized by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the competition from May 17-19 features 11 trade areas, including floristry, graphic design technology, welding, bakery, cooking, restaurant service, carpentry, electrical installation, landscape gardening, wall and floor tiling, and fashion technology.

TESDA provincial director Sharon Estigoy, in her opening remarks, said that emerging fields and traditional trades are being promoted to address skills shortages and meet employer needs.

“These skilled competitors will demonstrate their technical expertise, creativity, and world-class abilities in their respective trade areas as they vie for the top spot,” she said, adding that winners at the provincial level will move on to national competitions.

Supported by the provincial government and congressional offices of Ilocos Norte’s first and second districts, the annual PSC aims to promote quality technical education, recognize excellence, develop skilled professionals, and select representatives for regional, national, and international skills competitions.

During the PSC opening, Ilocos Norte Representatives Ferdinand Alexander Marcos and Angelo Marcos Barba commended TESDA’s efforts to support technical and vocational careers in the province, pledging to back programs that develop local talents.

“This is a celebration of the discipline and hard work of the participants in mastering their craft,” Marcos, who represents the first district, said in a prepared speech. He was represented by his consultant Edwin Cariño.

Meanwhile, Barba encouraged participants that strengthening technical and vocational skills should go beyond competitions like this and include the creation of functional training centers.

He said the Provincial Training Center in Banna, Ilocos Norte is now operational and must be fully utilized to maximize its benefits for the people.

“The series of TESDA trainings should lead to direct employment, and skills development must create opportunities. If skills are strong, opportunities will follow,” Barba said in a separate prepared speech read by his office’s chief of staff. (PNA)