LAOAG CITY –TESDA Secretary Joel Villanueva reported that Ilocos Norte’s fast-rising industries are in the areas of tourism, business process outsourcing and construction.
Villanueva said the three industries are fast-emerging which require the assistance of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
“We see the potential on these industries. We offer ourTESDA services so that your people could match the jobs that are needed in the market,” he said.
Villanueva arrived in this city last week and held a dialogue with local government officials, non-government organizations, business leaders, associations and industry heads about the ongoing TESDA projects.
Villanueva said jobs that are currently available for Ilocos Norte range from community-based industries such as housekeeping, carpentry, household repair to massage therapists.
Other job opportunities include call center agents, computer programmers, heavy machine operators and even bartenders.
Villanueva lamented that TESDA faces the challenge of changing the mindsets of job seekers.
“Our challenge is to do away with discrimination against technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses,” he said.
He stressed that about 35 percent of college students are enrolled in oversubscribed courses who end up being unemployed when they finish their courses.
“TESDA is a college of employment. Graduates are guaranteed of an employment the moment they finish their TESDA courses,” he said.
Villanueva assured job seekers that TESDA desks are set up in all offices nationwide to assist them when they go looking for the jobs.
TESDA blue desks will help job applicants in identifying vacancies in their areas and what companies to approach when they file their work application letters.
TESDA has its online site www.tesda.gov.ph and the philjob net website to assist applicants in their job-seeking ventures. (PIA 1 Ilocos Norte)
