The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to formalize and strengthen their collaboration in delivering high-quality, technical-vocational education in Senior High School.
The agreement, signed by DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and TESDA Director-General Jose Francisco Benitez, aims to quality assure the enhanced Technical Professional (“TechPro”) track of the Senior High School (SHS) Program, to ensure the work readiness and global competitiveness of Filipino graduates.
“Our goal has always been to ensure that every Senior High School graduate is equipped not just with knowledge, but with real-world skills. This partnership with TESDA is a critical step in fulfilling that promise,” Angara said.
Benitez also recognized TESDA’s role in the partnership.
“By embedding our Training Regulations and certification processes directly into the Senior High School system, we are creating a seamless pathway for students from education to employment.”
“TESDA’s role is to ensure that the skills being taught are the skills that industries actually need. By embedding our Training Regulations and certification processes directly into the Senior High School system, we are creating a seamless pathway for students from education to employment,” he said.
“This collaboration carves the path for industries to have a pipeline of skilled talent ready to contribute from day one,” Benitez added.
This landmark partnership addresses the longstanding need to resolve the mismatch between DepEd’s SHS programs and TESDA’s guidelines.
Recommendations by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) have consistently emphasized the need for alignment between DepEd’s and TESDA’s programs, including its push to increase funding for the assessment of SHS-TVL graduates.
Moreover, findings in the EDCOM 2 Year Two Report showed that, while about 53.9% of SHS graduates pursue higher education, a significant number enter the workforce in private establishments or informal employment. This is further supported by a 2023 PIDS study that found that children induced to attend SHS tend to earn higher wages and are more likely to be employed in middle-skill jobs compared with JHS graduates.
The primary objective of the agreement is to ensure that SHS TechPro programs comply with TESDA training regulations, and that DepEd teachers possess the requisite competencies and certifications to effectively deliver TVET programs.
“This will enhance their employability and facilitate a seamless transition to further education, training, or employment.”
“By aligning institutional processes, resources, and standards, the collaboration seeks to ensure the consistent delivery of quality-assured curricula by qualified educators, ultimately supporting the development of students’ foundational and technical skills. This will enhance their employability and facilitate a seamless transition to further education, training, or employment,” Benitez explained.
Under the agreement, DepEd is responsible for identifying and endorsing SHS TechPro teachers for enrollment in TESDA’s Trainers Methodology I (TM1) programs, as well as those that need updating in their qualifications. The department will also develop learning resources in consultation with TESDA, monitor the implementation of the curricula, and ensure that SHS learners undergo assessment for national certification.
For its part, TESDA will offer flexible access to training courses for teachers, including online and in-person options for DepEd teachers. TESDA will provide crucial technical assistance to align DepEd’s curricula with its official Training Regulations, ensuring that learners acquire industry-aligned skills.
The agencies also agree to undertake joint monitoring of SHS-TechPro programs offered in DepEd schools, as well as to map public and private technical vocational institutions, with the aim of strategically expanding the Joint Delivery Voucher Program (JDVP) to enable students to pursue a wider range of TVET electives.
To oversee the implementation of this agreement, a Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) will be established to manage planning, monitoring, and evaluation of the programs and initiatives to be undertaken pursuant to the MOA. The agencies also commit to engaging with industry stakeholders to ensure curriculum relevance and provide valuable work immersion opportunities for students.
The agreement will be effective for a period of three years upon signing, with DepEd and TESDA working hand-in-hand towards enhancing TVET offerings under the SHS pilot come June 2026.
