ASSESSMENT, CERTIFICATION, AND ACCREDITATION SERVICES (ACAS)

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.

Announcement




THE TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET)

The recent "K to 12" shift in the Philippine education system is perhaps the most decisive attempt at reforming Philippine education; however, there is one does not receive much attention, which CCCI believes as the key to workforce development- is the provision of a "Tech-Voc" track in Senior High School and all other modes of technical vocational education and training (TVET).

The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Philippines is a post-compulsory education and training, excluding degree and higher level programs delivered by further education institutions, which provides people with occupational or work-related knowledge and skills. It includes programs which provide the basis for subsequent vocational programs.

As defined by UNESCO- UNEVOC, TVET is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the world of work. Throughout the course of history, various terms have been used to describe elements of the field that are now conceived as comprising TVET. These include: Apprenticeship Training, Vocational Education, Technical Education, Technical-Vocational Education (TVE), Occupational Education (OE), Vocational Education and Training (VET), Professional and Vocational Education (PVE), Career and Technical Education (CTE), Workforce Education (WE), Workplace Education (WE), etc. Several of these terms are commonly used in specific geographic areas.

 

THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The education system in the Philippines embraces formal and non-formal education. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or Republic Act (RA) 10533, otherwise known as K to 12 Program, was a major educational reform in the Philippines, which mandates Kindergarten and a 12-year basic education curriculum. The new law integrated RA 10157, also known as The Kindergarten Act of 2011, which made Kindergarten Mandatory in all public schools, and added two years in the previous 10-year basic education curriculum being implemented in the country.

One of the key features of the K to 12 Program is that it provides specializations for employment. Senior High School (SHS) students can choose from four (4) tracks:(1) Academic, (2) Arts and Design, (3) Technical-Vocational Livelihood, and (4) Sports. After finishing a Grade 12 in a TVL Track, a student may obtain a National Certificate Level II (NCII), provided he/she passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The NC improves the employability of graduates

The Philippine Government aims to use the K to 12 Reform to improve the quality of vocational education and training in the Philippines. The objective in future is for Vocational Education and Training is to be more closely aligned to the real demands of the workplace and to the requirements of the labour market in order to take equal account of the needs of modern trade and industry and of the (largely informally organised) SME sector. The reform process seeks to enhance vocational orientation and practical professional training for young people within the formal educational sector.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. believes that the government's initiative to reform Philippine's education system was an entry point to cover the demand od companies for skilled first-time employees and medium level personnel through the Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) track with the specific focus on Dual Education and Training (DET).

The K to 12 PLUS Project, of which CCCI ACAS was born out aims to provide a remedy by creating dual vocational training structures. In addition to this, the Philippine Government is endeavoring to achieve greater integration of companies into the training process and striving to raise awareness of the cost-effectiveness of vocational education and training.

Since the ACAS' inception in 2015, the project has had over 200 beneficiaries both in the workforce and the industry. To date, the CCCI continues to pursue the refinement and mainstreaming of the ACAS, as the vehicle to promote Dual Education and Training (DET) in the region.