TESDA gears up for ‘green’ TVET system

BONTOC, Mountain Province—Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is gearing up towards the implementation of “green” Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in support of the government's advocacy to promote "green economy."

The green transition will bring not only new employment opportunities but will also alter existing jobs. TVET needs to anticipate and respond to skill changes needed.

Green transition enhances environmental awareness, competency, innovation and entrepreneurship, and thus opens new market opportunities for environmental goods and service and can lead to sustainable path.

The sustainable development is an essential issue in pursuing a forward-looking TVET, and green skills are an integral part of vocational competence.

It can be recalled the Philippines already has formulated policies regarding the environment and decent work standards in place, the most recent of which includes the Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016 (RA 10771) and its offshoot, the National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan.

The Green Jobs Act encourages business enterprises to generate and sustain green jobs by providing special tax deductions and duty free importation of capital equipment used in the promotion of green jobs.

He emphasized that TESDA is tasked to “formulate the necessary Training Regulations (TRs) for the implementation of skills training, program registration, and assessment and certification in support of the requirements for skilled manpower of the green economy.

The general provisions of the TESDA Circular include Green Jobs/Skills, Green Policies, Green Competency Standards/Training Regulations, Green Institutional Culture, and Green Community.

TESDA will execute initial projects towards green TVET and are as follows: waste segregation, appropriate waste disposal of by-products of skills training such as used oil, plastic packets, and efficient use of utilities.