📋 Tender Overview
MANILA (PIA) -- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) secured a historic P19 billion allocation for scholarships in the 2026 national budget, aimed at upskilling over 600,000 Filipinos and addressing the employability gaps in the K-12 Senior High School (SHS) program. TESDA Director General Secretary Kiko Benitez announced the funding increase, noting it as the largest in the agencys history. Nagpapasalamat na rin po ako dahil ang budget po ng TESDA para sa 2026 ay ang pinakamalaking budget po ng TESDA sa amin pong kasaysayan, Benitez said during a press briefing. The agency targets to enroll some 600,000 to 650,000 learners in 2026, focusing on high-employability sectors. A significant portion of the inter-agency discussion focused on the K-12 programs failure to produce job-ready graduates. To address this, officials from DepEd, TESDA, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) unveiled major curriculum changes. Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced that the Senior High School job immersion program will be more than doubled to ensure students gain real-world experience. From 300 hours maximum dati, gagawin na natin 640 hours, which is almost one semester of job immersion, Angara said. Angara also noted that the K-12 curriculum has been decongested. From 33 subjects, the required core has been reduced to five, allowing students more flexibility to choose between vocational skills and academic subjects without being boxed in. Benitez emphasized that TESDA is actively certifying SHS graduates to validate their skills for employers. He reported that 190,000 senior high school students have already been assessed and certified with National Certificates (NC II and NC III). So, if the issue is whether or not Senior High School students moving forward will be employable, masasabi naman po ng TESDA, at least, that we can certify that as many of them as are willing to take the assessment will be employable, Benitez said. The budget also allocates funds to modernize the workforce against technological disruption. Benitez highlighted a P500 million allocation for micro-credentials, designed to aid near-hires and mitigate the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on labor. Moreover, the agency is rolling out Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) programs. We are hoping to be able to target almost 100,000 EBET learners in 2026, Benitez said, citing tax incentives provided by the Department of Finance for industries that participate in the program. To resolve the mismatch often cited between SHS tracks and college courses, the education agencies are working on a trifocal approach to create seamless pathways. Benitez explained that they are strengthening the recognition of learning systems so that students can switch between technical-vocational tracks and higher education without losing progress. Para po maipatupad ang pangako ni Chair Shirley [Agrupis] na meron pong seamless pathways and multiple entrances and exits within the formal education system, Benitez added. The budget also includes training for 18,000 child development workers (9,000 ongoing and 9,000 additional) to assist in the governments anti-stunting measures. (JLN/PIA-NCR)
