THE Senate has approved a P70-million 2025 budget for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) with a view to boosting the agency’s digital transformation.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, co-chairman of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), pushed the P70-million allocation to fund three TESDA projects.
At least P40 million of the allocation was earmarked for the acquisition and development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) course builder, P20 million for the Internet of Things (IoT) training system, and P10 million for the development of an AI-powered Labor Market Information (LMI) System.
The AI-powered TVET course builder was designed to speed up course development and make it more cost-efficient through automation, while minimizing the need for extensive human resources. It will also reduce the time to develop and update training regulations, competency standards, competency-based curriculum, and competency assessment tools.
The course builder also ensures that all training materials are of the highest quality, industry-aligned, and relevant to the job market. It seeks to make TVET programs more consistent through standardized course content, assessments, and competencies, making the TVET programs ready for the rising demand for skilled workers.
Meanwhile, the IoT training system seeks to empower students with skills to operate, program, and maintain IoT devices and networks, and help them prepare for careers in smart technology applications in industrial automation, healthcare, and agriculture, among other fields.
The AI-powered LMI, on the other hand, seeks to leverage AI to identify emerging industry needs, predict workforce shortages, and guide educational institutions in aligning training programs with market demands.
“I believe that accelerating digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence is the way forward when it comes to education, including TVET. By investing in TESDA’s AI adoption and digital transformation, we hope to become more efficient in producing skilled workers that respond to the needs of our economy,” Gatchalian said.
