Many industries offering employment opportunities, Villanueva said, are on the lookout for graduates with special technical vocational skills.
He then cited the figures of the Department of Labor and Employment and PhilJobNet, which showed that jobs most in demand are in Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing, domestic work and property consultancy.
Four industries, which are expected to provide the most number of employment this year, are creative industries, strategic farming and fishing, power and utilities, and renewable energy. Villanueva said TESDA fully supports the growth of animation industry in the booming IT industry in the Visayas.
"I am confident that all 707 graduates were molded and trained for various courses
and specializations and are now ready to give quality and world-class service in all parts of the globe,” Villanueva told the graduates in his commencement speech at the West Negros University in Bacolod City.
"I congratulate the West Negros University fir this remarkable achievement. This is your institution's significant contribution to filling up the requirements of companies engaged in engineering, business and management, allied health sciences, ICT, education, and maritime studies,” he added.
TESDA courses offered in West Negros University include the ladderized courses BS Hospitality Management which embeds the following qualifications Commercial Cooking NC II, Bartending NC II, FBS NC II, and Housekeeping NC II) and the BS Information Technology which embeds Programming NC IV. Other courses offered are Computer Hardware Servicing NC II, HealthCare Services NC II, and Seafaring-Catering/ Stewarding NC II.
The ladderized education allows learners to progress between Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and college, and vice-versa.
The TESDA chief vowed to improve the agency’s technical vocational courses offering to produce graduates who can meet the demands of the industries.
"This year, the government has allotted more than P3 billion for technical education. As the demand for more skilled workers grow, we expect to need more than P5 billion in 2016,” he said.
For 2012, he said the five sectors with the most number of TVET enrollees are tourism, information and communications technology, health services, construction industry and automotive.
Meanwhile, the January 2012 data of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) revealed that the four disciplines with the most number of enrollees and graduates nationwide are Business Administration and related discipline, Medical and allied sciences, IT-related disciplines, and education and teacher-related training.
"The sad part is 50 percent of all enrollees in the tertiary education belong to the so-called low priority disciplines. What is more regrettable is the dismal performance of graduates who take the Professional Regulations Commission examinations in education, nursing, midwifery and electrical engineering,” Villanueva said.
"Thus, the challenge is to stay relevant. Tech-voc courses are as dignified as college courses. What matter for one to become a specialist in his chosen course, find a job later on and deliver quality service,” he added.
Villanueva congratulated the West Negros University for being one of the top 10 institutions with the highest number of registered TESDA programs, and for receiving the ISO 9001:2000 certificate for its BS Maritime Transportation and BS Marine Engineering courses.
TESDA also recently received the ISO 9001-2008 in recognition of its quality management systems in place and for putting premium in meeting the needs of its customers.
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