The Philippines has placed an educational emphasis on the βholistically developed Filipinoβ, with a need for an analysis of the integration of 21st century skills in their system. As a result, the Analysis of 21st Century Skills Integration Program, funded by UNICEF and developed and led by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), aims to support the Philippines in identifying a strategy for assessment, teaching, and learning of 21st century skills. The need to focus on supporting students to develop a broad set of competencies has been acknowledged globally and refers to the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that are integral to life in the 21st century. (UNESCO, 2019)
In line with this, TESDA also aims to produce a globally competitive worker with 21st century skills thus mandated integration of 21st century skills in the Basic Competencies through TESDA Circular 097 series of 2019: Implementing Guidelines on the Newly Promulgated Amended Competency Standards of Basic Competencies integrated with 21st Century Skills with the following objectives:
- To prepare learners for life-long learning, and enable them to intellectually participate in knowledge generation and better prepare them for large-scale changes in the workplace, technology and global market.
- To produce work-ready, globally competitive, green economy workers imbued with 21st century skills, which refers to a broad set of essential skills consisting of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits which are critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in contemporary careers and workplaces.
EDC/USAID Opportunity 2.0 project as partner of TESDA in the development of learning materials has distributed and deployed modules for 21st Century Skills. Thus, to provide access to the content, utilization and delivery of TESDA Work Readiness Modules on 21st Century Skills that will strengthen technical-vocational education and training systems, the Regional Training Center-NCR is conducting a full on-line 3-day Training of Trainers on Work Readiness Modules on 21st Century Skills.
To respond to the above-mentioned need and aims, the Regional Training Center NCR is offering a program that intends to capacitate trainers in the delivery of 21st Century Skills using EDC/USAID Opportunity 2.0 Work Readiness Modules on 21st Century Skills with TESDAs trained Master and RTC NCR trainer Connie S. Villagracia to produce a holistic skilled worker that will satisfy the industry requirements for workers.
An Opening Ceremony (Figure 1) was conducted on May 17, 2023 to formally start the pilot batch which was graced by RTC-NCR Administrator, Gilbert Castro; TESD Advisor, USAID Opportunity 2.0, Robinson M. Wee; and Master Trainer for NCR, USAID Opportunity 2.0, Kristofer Kliatchko.
The said pilot batch was conducted on May 17-19, 2023. The 25 participants of the training program are Trainers Methodology Certificate holders and trainers of variious National Certificate in the region satisfactorily completed the program and were issued Certificates of Training.
As RTC-NCR intensifies the advocacy on the program, a number of applicants are lined-up to avail the program. The RTC NCR has scheduled the 2nd and 3rd batch on May 29-31, 2023 and June 3-5, 2023 respectively.
Annexes
Figure 1: Opening Ceremony conducted on May 17, 2023 joined by 25 participants, RTC Staff and USAID/EDC staff
