35,000 vocational scholarships in Northern Mindanao up for grab

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=930851
• Wednesday, October 12, 2016

(PNA), RMA/CD/MARK FRANCISCO

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Oct. 12 (PNA) – A total of 35,000 vocational scholarships is up for grabs in Northern Mindanao, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) said Wednesday.

Visiting TESDA Director General Guiling A. Mamondiong said that he was impressed with the performance of TESDA regional office that the number of scholarships was awarded “on the spot.”

Mamondiong was in the TESDA Northern Mindanao regional office here last Tuesday for the first time since he assumed the post last July, where he met head of TESDA’s provincial offices and 164 tech-voc schools in the region.

After the meeting, Mamondiong announced that TESDA would start accepting the new batch of scholars starting January 2017.

He said that “would-be scholars” were advised to continue availing of TESDA’s regular programs that were started by Mamondiong’s predecessor, now Sen. Joel J. Villanueva.

The 35,000 slots would be under the massive “Barangay Kasanayan Para sa Kabuhayan at Kapayapaan” (Village Livelihood Skill Training and Peace), a new TESDA program initiated by Mamondiong.

Fully rehabilitated drug dependents would be given priority in the program, but momentarily, TESDA would accept applicants from the village level.

Edgar A. Sales, the TESDA regional director in Northern Mindanao, was “stunned” with the announcement considering that the amount of budget involved in the scholarship program.

“This was the first time since I was assigned the post in 2013 that I got that huge number of scholarship slots,” Sales said.

He said that each individual training would cost Php 10,000 or a total amount of Php 350 million for the 35,000 scholars for a three-year tech-voc course.