The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) jointly conducted an In-Country Program on “Enhancing TVET Institutions and Industry Linkages for Quality TVET” from June 23 to 27, 2025, at TESDA Women's Center, TESDA Complex, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
A total of 30 TVET instructors, trainers, and administrators from various TESDA offices across the Philippines participated in the program. The training was designed to strengthen curriculum development through industry involvement, promote dual training systems and workplace immersion programs, upgrade training tools and facilities to meet evolving industry standards, and enhance the capacity of trainers to deliver relevant, future-oriented instruction.
The five-day training program was steered under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja, CPSC Director General, together with Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Faculty Consultant, and Prof. Naeem Yaqoob, CPSC Faculty Specialist, who both served as Program Coordinators—meanwhile, Dir. Juliet Omalza-Orozco, Director IV of TESDA Administrative Service, served as the Local Program Coordinator.
The CPSC and TESDA teams composed of Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja, CPSC Director General, and Ms. Rosanna Urdaneta, TESDA Deputy Director General for Policies and Planning, together with Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Faculty Consultant; Prof. Naeem Yaqoob, CPSC Faculty Specialist; Mr. El Cid Castillo, Executive Director of TESDA’s Qualifications and Standards Office (QSO); Ms. Floramel Joy C. Songsong, Executive Director of TESDA’s Partnership and Linkages Office (PLO); and Ms. Mylene Somera, Chief of the TESDA Women’s Center (TWC) welcomed the participants during the opening ceremony.
Throughout the five-day program, the participants were able to engage in theme paper presentations, group activities, workshops, and a panel discussion. Sessions led by Prof. Naeem and Dr. Kesavan focused on building sustainable partnerships between TVET institutions and industry, aligning TVET with Industry 4.0 and 5.0, and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in industry-academic collaboration. Their discussions also highlighted the importance of sustainability, social equity, and green practices in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through TVET.
Ms. Nur Liyana Binti Khalid Khan holds an online lecture on models of training systems and work-based learning
An online session was conducted by Ms. Nur Liyana Binti Khalid Khan, Deputy Director of Division of Instructional and Digital Learning at the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education (DPCCE), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. In her lecture, Ms. Khan shared comprehensive insights on innovative models of dual training systems and work-based learning. Furthermore, Dir. Lorrienne Judith Marie G. Juanani, TESDA NCR Director III, provided a lecture on the current concepts and challenges in TVET industry linkages.
Dir. Lorrienne Judith Marie G. Juanani, TESDA NCR Director III (top photo) and Ms. Gerrylyn D. Ped, Supervising TESD Specialist at the Provincial Training Center in Urdaneta, Pangasinan (bottom photo) led the workshop session on tracer studies.
The program also consisted of group exercises on SWOT and gap analysis of industry linkages in the Philippines, simulations on integrating emerging technologies into institutional partnerships, and a PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) workshop on tracer studies and employability metrics. The participants also engaged in a simulation workshop on co-creating TVET curricula with industry, led by Ms. Gerrylyn D. Ped, Supervising TESD Specialist at the Provincial Training Center in Urdaneta, Pangasinan.
Panel Discussion
As part of the training component, a panel discussion was held on June 26, 2025, focusing on the various sectors of industry on versatile institute-industry linkage approaches. The panelists were Ms Ma. Christina G. Aquino, former President of the Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc. (TIBFI); and Ms. Marlyn Montano, President of the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc.
During the discussion, Ms. Aquino talked about the tourism sector, noting the Philippines' strong role as a tourism provider in the ASEAN region. Meanwhile, Ms. Montano mentioned the significant growth in the animation industry’s revenue.
Both panelists recognized the challenges and gaps in TVET-industry collaboration in the Philippines, urging TESDA leaders do everything in its authority to close the gap by proactively engaging with the industries, in order to see the relevance of the skills being taught in the institutes with the current practices of the industry. They also emphasized the need to improve training accessibility for the learners and to enhance the curriculum based on emerging demands. On the final note, Ms. Aquino and Ms. Montano highlighted the importance of expanding linkages among the industries to build meaningful partnerships with them.
The five-day training concluded with a closing ceremony. Prof. Naeem provided a summary of the program, in which he outlined the key points from the theme paper presentations, workshops, and group work activities. He also took the opportunity to thank CPSC and TESDA for a meaningful program.
Selected participants represented TESDA institutes in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the Central Office. They conveyed their appreciation to CPSC and TESDA for a well-designed program for institute-industry linkages for quality TVET, ensuring that “No learner is left behind.”
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Dhameja delivered his closing remarks, wherein he expressed his thanks to TESDA and congratulated the participants for completing the training program. He then recalled the numerous collaborative programs between CPSC and TESDA, which contributed to strengthening TVET capacity, enhancing industry linkages, and promoting innovation in skills development across the Philippines. This was reaffirmed by TESDA Deputy Director General for TESD Operations Vidal Villanueva III in his closing message. Mr. Villanueva also encouraged the participants to be proactive, be models to other TESDA institutes, and be the instruments of transformation.
H.E. Dr. Asima Rabbani, Ambassador of the Embassy of Pakistan in the Philippines graced the closing ceremony and delivers her special remarks as the Chief Guest
Finally, the closing ceremony honored H.E. Dr. Asima Rabbani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of the Philippines, who delivered special remarks as the Chief Guest. In her message, Dr. Asima congratulated CPSC and TESDA and commended their longstanding partnership over the years. She put emphasis on the importance of building strong industry linkages. “Stay engaged. Stay collaborative,” she said.
Overall, the joint program reaffirmed the commitment of CPSC and TESDA to enhancing TVET institutions and industry linkages for quality TVET in the Philippines.
