An Evaluation of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority's (TESDA) Scholarship

Program's success in obtaining high-skilled jobs

Roxanne A. Pineda

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

A scholarship program is financial assistance provided by a school or other organization to a student who has

demonstrated academic or athletic distinction. Scholarships are no longer regarded as a nice-to-have. They're essential

for closing the gap between rising tuition costs and what you and your family can afford to spend out of pocket. Every

student who is facing financial difficulties requires a scholarship. Students nowadays faced a variety of issues in their

daily lives, including stress related to projects, reporting, and group activities, among other things. However, some

students face financial difficulties that may have an impact on their academic performance. As a result, scholarship

programs have been formed to assist students in reducing their fees and being more successful in the future. This open

scholarship program helps people who are interested in expanding their knowledge and developing a deeper awareness

of their strengths, such as academic skills, talents, and extracurricular activities. The goal is to increase and improve the

financial necessities of each student's household. This is the assistance that our government provides to students who

cannot afford or do not have enough money to pay their school's tuition price. 21 st Century Skills related work training

are approaching nowadays we faced in reality that innovation is a must. In TESDA we equipped our student / learners

to become work-ready individuals. Training and development of the students to the educational activities within the

school, we created to enhance the knowledge and skills of our trainees while providing information and instruction on

how to better perform specific duties / job. This would make it difficult for the country's TVET providers to keep up

with the rapid rate of innovation, technological change, and increased labor skill needs. We may utilize innovation to

generate new ideas, new solutions, and new opportunities to deal with rapid transformational changes caused by a
variety of technical, economic, and even environmental factors. Students are encouraged to learn with TESDA in this

regard.

TESDA students face a variety of issues, including being on a tight budget owing to poverty, the elderly finding

modern technology difficult to understand, and out-of-school adolescent students preferring to work rather than

participate in training programs. Students who want to enroll but aren't qualified because of their age, as well as

indigenous peoples who live far from the city and face transportation issues.

The aforementioned background on the significance of effectives of scholarship programs in seeking high-

skilled jobs has inspired the researcher to feel an urgent interest and desire to conduct this study.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study is founded on the theory of the David Kolb’s theory which is Kolb claimed that experience is

important in the growth of knowledge creation because learning happens through discovery and active participation.

Kolb, D. A. (2007) stated that is split into two sections. The first is that learning is divided into four stages, as

seen in the diagram below. Kolb felt that, in an ideal world, students would advance through the stages of a cycle,

transforming their experiences into knowledge. Kolb's Theory's second section focused on learning styles, or the

cognitive processes that happened during the acquisition of knowledge. Essentially, Kolb felt that people could

demonstrate their knowledge or learning by applying abstract concepts to new settings. The transition of experience

into knowledge occurs when all steps of the cycle are completed. The entire theory of Kolb is built on the concept of

transforming experience into knowledge. The learner can integrate fresh observations with their current understanding

with each new experience. In an ideal world, students should be able to progress through each step. Kolb's philosophy

revolves around experiences, which he saw as a process through which anything must be modified or transformed. This

theory contributes to the research that encourages students to pay attention in the result of their institutional assessment

in order for them to find suitable jobs that fit in their course graduated in TESDA.

Fig. 1 Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This study will assume that the respondents' socio-demographic variables, as well as the TESDA scholarship

programs, influenced trainees' desire to work in high-skilled jobs.

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

Socio – Demographic Characteristics

 Age
 Sex
 Civil Status
 Highest Educational Attainment
 Qualification/Course
 Job

TESDA Scholarship Programs lead to

acceptable employment opportunities
depending on their completed
qualification/course.

Kolb Four stages of Learning

 Active Experimentation

 Concrete Experience

 Reflective Observation

 Abstract Conceptualization
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study will conduct to identify development of the competencies of the Filipinos workforce through

technical vocational education training.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of scholarship programs of TESDA in obtaining high skilled

jobs.

Specifically, it intended to answer the following questions;

1. Socio-demographic of the respondents

1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Highest Educational Attainment
1.4 Course/Qualification
1.5 Job

2. What impact does free training have on aspiring applicants looking for highly skilled jobs?

3. What role does the TESDA Scholarship Program play in job search?

4. What policy recommendations may be proposed based on the findings of the study?

HYPOTHESES

The following hypotheses presented in the null form (Ho) were tested in the study:

Ho1 = There are no significant differences among the respondents’ familiarity on TESDA Scholarship Programs .

Ho2 = There is no significant relationship between the familiarity of the trainees respondents and their integration of

TESDA references in the scholarship programs.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to assess how efficient the TESDA scholarship program is in helping people find

high-skilled jobs at the TESDA Provincial Training Center in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The researcher believes that this study will not only yield data that will be helpful to her, more so to the

following groups of people;

Administrator findings can lead to the improvements in the preparation of programs that would uplift the training

procedures of the institution.

Trainees will benefit from this study because they are the most significant factors for them to become pro-active

experience learners and meaningfully contribute to the nation's growth as end users of every innovation of training in

the institution.

Researchers, findings of this study may serve as a good reference for conducting related studies.
DEFINITION OF TERMS

TESDA or Technical Educational and Skill Development Authority - provides people with chances to be

responsible and productive citizens. Because of the necessity to deliver and make accessible appropriate, TESDA is

required to provide direct training while also supporting training activities conducted by other major stakeholders in the

TESD sector.

TVET or TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING - is a type of education or training that

includes, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and allied sciences, as well as the acquisition of

practical skills connected to vocations in a variety of economic and social areas.

21ST CENTURY SKILLS - The knowledge, life skills, professional skills, habits, and attributes that are vital to student

success in today's environment are referred to as 21st century skills.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

What is TESDA Scholarship Program?

TESD creates opportunities for people to be responsible and become productive citizens. The need to provide
and make accessible relevant TESD compels TESDA to undertake direct training activities at the same time support
training activities undertaken by other key players in the TESD sector.

TESDA Technology Institutions are composed of 125 schools, regional, provincial and specialized training
centers nationwide which undertake direct training activities for TESDA. The absence of an institution in the area
which can provide people equitable access to TESD necessitates TESDA to undertake direct training activities. These
TTIs also serve as venues to test new training schemes and are used as laboratories for new technology.

Types of Scholarship Program.

1. Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) – is a scholarship program which provides immediate

interventions to produce the needed skilled and certified workers and fill-up the unfilled jobs in key industry

sectors in the country. The TWSP seeks to support rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth through

course offerings in priority industries and key employment generators.

2. Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) — is one form of assistance to students in private

education under RA 8645, otherwise known as “Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in

Private Education Act”. PESFA offers educational grants to qualified and deserving college freshmen both in

degree and non-degree courses. The program seeks to extend financial assistance to marginalized but deserving

students in post-secondary non-degree courses, promote TVET, contribute to the development of a competent

skilled workforce and assist private institutions in their development efforts by assuring a steady supply of

enrollees to their course offerings.

3. Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTEA) – a program established through Republic Act

No. 10931 providing for free tuition and other school fees in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local

Universities and Colleges (LUCs) and state-run Technical Vocational Institutions (STVls), establishing the

Tertiary Education Subsidy and Student Loan Program (SLP), strengthening the Unified Student Financial

Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), and appropriating funds therefor.

4. Tulong Trabaho Scholarship Program (TTSP) – a scholarship program established through Republic Act

No. 11230 which mainly aims to provide more innovative approaches to TVET linked to the requirements of

industry to primarily address unemployment and job-skill mismatch through the delivery of Selected Training

Programs (STPs) to qualified recipients. The TTSP is primarily governed by TESDA Circular No. 131, series of

2019.

5. TESDA Overseas Scholarship Program – a pilot program to further support the OFWs in enhancing their

skills and find better, more decent jobs through the provision of quality training programs as well as assessment

and certification to our OFWs.

6. Special Training for Employment Program (STEP) – a community-based training program that seeks to

address the specific skills needs of the communities and promote employment, through entrepreneurial, self-

employment, and service-oriented activities. Under STEP, the training programs are generally short-term and

shall use the cluster of units of competencies prescribed in the Training Regulations (TRs) promulgated by

TESDA, wherever applicable.

7. Special Skills Training Program (SSTP) – is a scholarship program which was established in support of

Executive Order No. 70 which addresses the needs of Indigenous Peoples and Former Rebels (FRS) and

Executive Order No. 79 which caters to the Decommissioned Combatants of the MILF and their Communities

in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

8. Rice Extension Services Program (RESP) – a program under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund

(RCEF) for teaching skills on rice crop production, modem rice farming techniques, seed production, farm
 mechanization, and knowledge/technology transfer through farm schools nationwide. The TTSP is primarily

governed by TESDA Circular No. 101, series of 2019.

Reason why there have a Scholarship program?

Financial Benefit. Many students graduate from college with enormous student loan debt or limit their

education in an attempt to control costs. Because scholarships are free money, however, students can focus on their

careers instead of thinking about how they will repay loans. This allows them to go into fields like law or medicine that

require postgraduate training or to pursue careers in public service or other areas that don't pay high salaries. By

removing financial barriers, scholarships make education and career goals easier to obtain. (Mahuron, 2018)

Career Benefit. Earning a prestigious or merit-based scholarship can actually make you a more attractive job

candidate. Employers who understand the competitive nature of the scholarship will recognize it as an accomplishment.

Generally, a merit-based scholarship demonstrates to future employers that you have exceptional ability in the

academic, athletic or artistic realm. Competitive scholarships are accomplishments worth listing on your resume and

can help you stand out when you search for a job -- possibly helping you achieve the career you want. (Mahuron, 2018)

Personal Benefit. A scholarship can make a big difference in how much time and resources you will have

during college to spend on enhancing your experience and knowledge through service-learning, volunteer opportunities

and internships. The money and security afforded by a scholarship allows you to be more selective in how you spend

your free time. Use this time wisely and make the most of it; instead of working at any minimum-wage job you can

find to support yourself, select work that is meaningful and adds value to your degree. (Mahuron, 2018)

The Philippine Education and Training System

The Philippine education system covers both formal and non-formal education. Formal education is a

progression of academic schooling from elementary (grade school) to secondary (high school) and tertiary levels

(TVET and higher education). The system is tri-focalized by law into basic, technical-vocational and higher education
under three different agencies: the Department of Education (DepED) headed by a Cabinet Secretary for basic

education; the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) headed by a Director General for

technical-vocational education and training; and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under the Office of the

Philippine President headed by the Chairperson of a collegial body of five Commissioners.

First, the formal education system serves a school-age population that has regularly outnumbered that of other

ASEAN countries in terms of proportion of total population—the Philippines' population today stands at around 104

million.

Second, because of the unequal nature of Philippine society and the country's poverty incidence level, which

shows at least one out of every five families (22 percent) living below the poverty line in 2015, issues of access to

formal education and training, particularly in basic education, have been prominent for several decades. The disparity

between the poor's educational chances and those of the middle and upper classes is due to the country's inequality and

poverty.

Third, the Philippine education system is heavily influenced by the country's colonial history with the United States,

which lasted from 1901 to 1945. The basic philosophy of allowing a strong market to function in all sectors of social,

political, and economic life, including education, with the state acting as a facilitator is one of the more visible

examples of this impact. It's important to remember American influence in the Philippines' education and training

system in order to make the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) understandable to ASEAN member states

(AMS), the majority of whom have been influenced historically by the European system of education and state

regulation.

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

The Philippine TVET system is a competency-based education and training system that is deliberately designed to

fulfill labor market demand and provide good employment and personal advancement chances for unskilled Filipinos.
By acknowledging learning outcomes acquired through formal, informal, and non-formal modalities, the system

subscribes to the ideas of lifelong learning and acknowledgement of prior learning.

TESDA is the agency mandated by law (Republic Act No. 7796) to 1) promote and strengthen the quality of

technical education and skills development programs in order to attain international competitiveness; 2) focus technical

education and skills development on meeting the changing demands for quality middle-level manpower; 3) encourage

critical and creative thinking by disseminating the scientific and technical knowledge base of middle-level manpower

development programs; 4) recognize and encourage the complementary roles of public and private institutions in

technical and skills development and training systems; and 5) inculcate desirable values through the development of

moral character with emphasis on work ethic, self-discipline, self- reliance and nationalism.
Recommendations

Employment has been the yardstick in assessing TVET performance. However, the
employment rate of graduates in the labor force of 55.1%, which is less than the 2005 IES
results, has not been very encouraging. While there are external factors contributing to decline
in employment rate, this figure signals the need to intensify efforts in the implementation of
the reforms and improvements in the policies, systems and programs that have been
introduced or will still be developed in order to ensure efficiency, quality and relevance of
TVET. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are presented:

Sustain and strengthen the following initiatives which are currently being implemented by
TESDA:

 Providing training incentives to programs that are purposively directed towards

highly critical skills that can rapidly absorb qualified manpower;
  Inducing the TVET market towards new program offerings that meet industry
demands through the provision of incentives and development of relevant
competency standards;
 Providing additional scholarships in critical and emerging skills, and;
 Pursuing more purposive and active labor market intelligence to provide signals and
guide in redirecting training program interventions and initiatives towards investible
TVET qualifications and high demand jobs.

Develop and implement measures that will further improve and strengthen linkages and
partnership with industry and the business sector, as end users of skilled workers, in the
following areas:

 Provision of labor market signals on critical skills demand

 Development competency standards in existing and emerging critical skills
 Expansion of enterprise-based training provision and on-the-job training
 Recognition of competency certificates as basis for hiring workers
 Participation in TVET policy and planning

Intensify the provision of support services for TVET graduates such as, the career profiling
or the Youth Profiling for Starring Career (YP4SC) and career coaching to ensure best-job-fit
through matching of students’ interest, ability or skills with available jobs.

Strengthen the job referral/placement assistance services of the TVET institutions through
the Blue Desks, linkages with industry, Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) and job
boards, among others.

Monitor and review the compliance of the TVET providers and the field offices with the
policy on mandatory assessment of graduates of programs with Training Regulations.
There is also a need for stronger and continuing advocacy of the assessment and
certification program in order to increase its recognition and acceptability among
stakeholders, particularly the employers.

Provide assistance and incentives to TVET providers in upgrading the quality of programs
offered, particularly in terms of more updated training equipment and facilities, qualified
TVET trainers, and improved capability in curriculum and learning materials development.
These should all be aimed at aligning program offerings to standards and to the
requirements of industry.

Conduct of regular monitoring and compliance audits of TVET programs offered, including
corrective measures to ensure quality TVET provision and continuing compliance with
standards.
 Improve the system of targeting and selection of TVET clients,
particularly those who will be recipients of scholarship grants. This is
to make more efficient and effective the allocation and utilization of
scarce TVET resources.

Find ways to have sustainable sources of adequate TVET financing to

meet the increasing demand for TVET provision to respond to the
critical skills requirements of industry. Expand the I-CARE to all
LGUs/members of the legislative branch.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the results of the study conducted on Novo Ecijano cultural references in

the Junior High School Special Programs in the Arts in Nueva Ecija.
Questionaire:

1. Before you applied, did you know about the Tesda scholarship program? Yes
or no

2.

1. Does your organization provide training that supports your work

requirements with required resources? Agree disagree strongly agree
strongly disagree
2. Were those courses helpful for your professional development and job
needs? Agree disagree strongly agree strongly disagree

1. How well does your Technical Qualification Program functional area match
your actual job requirements? Very Satisfactory , Satisfactory, Good, poor,
3. Do you consider tesda supports your professional development in your work
area? Agree disagree strongly agree strongly disagree

3. How well does your tesda scholarship program match your actual job
requirements? Very Satisfactory , Satisfactory, Good, poor,

1. How would you rate organizational support for Technical Qualification

Program (high/medium/low)? (Follow-up for why level was chosen)
2.How does the field office/site manager support Technical Qualification Program?
3. How does your supervisor support Technical Qualification Program
(motivation from, etc.)?
4. Did you take any National Training Center (NTC) courses required by or useful
for the Technical Qualification Program? (Follow-up: What were those
courses?)

5.
6. Were those courses helpful for your professional development and job
needs? (Follow-up: If so, how so; if not, why not?)
7. Did you or your supervisor set any goals or have any expectations prior to or
during the courses with respect to using the new knowledge on the job?
 (Follow- up – If yes, request examples.)
8. What changes, if any, would you request from the NTC in the form of
course revisions or course development to support your job needs
and/or Technical Qualification Program needs?