MANILA — As Boracay was recently reopened to the public, a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) official is reiterating that those who graduated from tech-voc courses in the area may avail of loan assistance from the agency.
TESDA Deputy Director General Alvin Feliciano was referring to displaced workers, who were provided with skills training during the temporary closure of Boracay. The island was closed for six months for environmental rehabilitation.
TESDA Aklan Provincial Director Joel Villagracia earlier told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that TESDA Region 6 would prioritize the displaced workers in providing training opportunities, to help them find alternative jobs or upgrade their skills.
The training was to prepare them for new jobs, as soon as Boracay reopens for tourism, Villagracia added.
Coinciding Boracay’s re-opening last Oct. 26, TESDA held a graduation ceremony for 720 trainees, who benefited from the priority slots for training.
“The training was held from April 26, and it ended last Oct. 26. It was provided for free, as this is part TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program,” Feliciano told the PNA.
He noted that tech-voc graduates, who availed of courses related to entrepreneurship, may apply for a loan.
“Those who took up hairdressing may plan to put up a salon; those who took bakery course may want to have their own bakery, or those who graduated from automotive mechanic course may want to put up an automotive shop,” he said as examples.
According to TESDA, the agency has partnered with other institutions, such as the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Landbank, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), among others, so it could help tech-voc graduates to have capital for business.
“They (graduates) would need to apply for business registration with the DTI and the local government unit. They also need to identify their target market, so they would know if they could earn money to pay for the loan,” he said.
The courses availed by the 720 graduates included Lifeguard Services, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC ll, Housekeeping NC ll, Security Service NC ll, Service Consumer Electronic Products and Systems, Driving NC ll, Cake Making, Pastry Making, Bread Making, Carpentry, Hilot (Wellness Massage) NC ll, and Dressmaking NC ll.
Feliciano, meanwhile, clarified, that all TESDA graduates who took business-related courses may also apply for a loan.
He also clarified that while TESDA Region 6 has been providing training programs in the area, it had to prioritize the displaced workers in its free training programs.
TESDA also customized the program to help them immediately find an alternative employment or livelihood, Feliciano said.