TESDA, ILO join forces, trains women in STEM

Post date: May 8, 2018 1:22:43 AM

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have joined forces to help women gain quality employment and advancement opportunities in jobs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), particularly in animation, game and software development.

This as the ILO will launch the Women in STEM Workforce Readiness and Development Program to spearhead a work-to-school project for 200 female students in the IT field, particularly for animation, game and software development, to encourage and prepare more women and girls to initiate a professional career in IT.

Khalid Hassan, ILO director, said that in the Philippines, very few women choose to train for information technology courses due to cultural biases on career opportunities in the field where women have a high potential to get quality jobs.

"The program seeks to provide women with demand-led technical STEM-related skills and employability along with enterprise-level leadership training to help them overcome challenges that reduce their entry, retention and advancement in STEM industries such as the Information-Technology Business Process Management (IT-BPM)," said Hassan.

TESDA Director General Guiling “Gene” A. Mamondiong has said that TESDA, as the technical vocational education and training (TVET) provider of the country, will support the ILO through scholarship vouchers for the pilot training of 125 women in animation, game development and software development at Human Resource Development Institute (HRDI) (50 trainees) and selected private sector training providers (75 trainees).

Mamondiong said that the HRDI is looking for women who are interested to take up a course or two in animation and game development being offered by the agency.

The TESDA chief is inviting all interested women to avail of the program that will start in June. Interested parties may contact or visit the HRDI at the Philippine-Korea Friendship Center in Bayani Road, The Fort, Taguig City or call telephone numbers 63(2)8439510/0918-217-8647.

Mamondiong also said that the trainings aim to spark interest and train the women in STEM-related areas of work, and subsequently this will ensure training and employment assistance to companies in need of workers in this field.

The ILO added that it will provide soft training support, mentoring and career talks for the trainees that will be included in the program.

The TESDA-HRDI was established in 2014 together with the Korean Government through KOICA to become the center of training for TVET in digital arts and automation.

It also aims to develop qualified TVET trainers and industry workers to uplift their standard and ensure "quality-assured competency-based technical vocational education" abroad.

Among the courses being offered in HRDI are electrical installation and maintenance; 3D animation, game development, mechatronics servicing, and basic Korean language and culture.