Senator Joel Villanueva hailed the signing of the “Tulong Trabaho” Law which seeks to provide free access to Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs.
The law sets up a fund that finances scholarships of workers to training programs as needed by the industry, explained Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11230 or An Act Instituting a Philippine Labor Force Competencies Competitiveness Program and Free Access to Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Appropriating Funds Therefor.
“Dahil sa mekanismo na nakalatag sa batas, garantisado po ang trabaho dahil paglalaanan ng pondo ang mga tech-voc programs na akma sa pangangailangan ng ating mga Industriya. Itataguyod nito ang isang market-driven na sistema sa paglaan ng scholarship funds, kaya makakatiyak tayo na may trabahong mag-aantay sa ating mga TVET scholars,” the seasoned legislator said.
“We thank the President and our colleagues in Congress for supporting our advocacy of providing better access to tech-voc training,” the veteran lawmaker continued. “We believe in the quality of work that Filipinos do, regardless of the industry they are in. We will continue to create opportunities for them to train and excel.”
“We thank the President and our colleagues in Congress for supporting our advocacy.”
“Naniniwala tayo na malaki ang maitutulong ng Tulong-Trabaho Act na i-angat ang skills ng ating mga manggagawa kaya nagagalak po tayo at naisa-batas na ang panukalang ito,” the senator said.
The law institutes the Philippine Labor Force Competencies Competitiveness Program that assesses the prevailing requirement of industries, with the help of the Department of Labor and Employment, which generates studies such as Labor Market Intelligence Reports, among others.
The law also establishes a Tulong Trabaho Fund, which provides qualified recipients free access to TVET selected training programs (STPs) to be determined by the TESDA Board, which oversees the fund.
Villanueva, chair of the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, reiterated the value of tech-voc education for Filipino workers, which he had seen first-hand while at the helm of TESDA.
“Tech-voc has proven to be a viable option for Filipinos, especially for those who want immediate employment. In fact, seven out of 10 tech-voc graduates easily find decent jobs due to the high demand of skilled workers here and abroad,” he pointed out.
“Seven out of 10 tech-voc graduates easily find decent jobs.”
Among those qualified to avail of assistance from the Tulong Trabaho Fund are:
- any individual at least fifteen (15) years of age who are not employed, not in education and not in training (NEET), and
- employed workers, who intend to develop and expand their current skills and training.
The industry boards or bodies seeking funding for STPs shall submit a list of applicants who have requested assistance from the Tulong-Trabaho Fund to the TESDA Regional Directors.
The TESDA Regional Directors shall then assess the recipients and submit a list of qualified recipients to the TESDA Director General for approval.
“With the signing of Tulong Trabaho Law, we look forward to TESDA producing more tech-voc graduates and become skilled workers that our labor market needs. The next step here is to craft the implementing rules and regulations of the law so that the programs gets a head start,” Villanueva said.
