New policy promises 'seamless' crediting of tech-voc courses towards college degree
MANILA, Philippines — More classes taken in technical vocational courses will now be counted towards a college degree after the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Commission on Higher Education inked an agreement allowing tech-voc students and graduates to earn college units.
CHED and TESDA’s Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 implements the Philippine Credit Transfer System — a scheme that allows students to move from a vocational course to a college degree program using the principle of credit transfer.
"Through this system, (tech-voc) students and graduates can earn college degree credits for subjects they have already taken, and will not have to take the same subjects again should they decide to pursue a bachelor's degree," TESDA said in a statement.
TESDA Director General Danilo Cruz said that the PCTS will strengthen the country’s existing programs that "reinforces the importance of skills mastery and life-long learning."
"Likewise, it gives our workers better chances for permanency and further professional growth," the TESDA chief said.
"In addition, as one of the initiatives of TESDA to the PCTS, recognition of prior learning makes TVET more inclusive for all clients with academic achievement, work exposures, and life experiences that are aligned with the competencies contained in various TVET programs," Cruz added.
The process of crediting units earned by tech-voc graduates is also in line with the Philippine Qualifications Framework Act and the Ladderized Education Act.
Declining number of 'ladderized education' graduates
While TESDA and CHED have long implemented some form of credit transfer that recognizes overlapping learning competencies from tech-voc to higher education, the PCTS is seen to streamline the process.
According to the latest CHED data, the number of graduates in its ladderized education program has steadily declined since 2016 year after year. In 2020-2021, the program only saw 11,951 graduates — at least 300% less than the 43,000 that enrolled in 2016.
According to CHED and TESDA, the PCTS will cover courses in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Chemistry, Electronics Engineering, Hospitality Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management and Information Technology.
TESDA and CHED, along with a pool of experts, will identify the equivalencies to be implemented in the credit transfer system to ensure the quality of the institutions and the programs for which the credit arrangements in the PCTS apply.
TESDA is among the largest learning networks in the country, overseeing the delivery of training and education services of more than 7,200 institutions.
In 2021, TESDA recorded at least 1.2 million enrollees in its various training programs, 93% or 1.15 million of which completed their courses. This was a 4.58% increase from the number of TESDA enrollees in 2020. — Cristina Chi
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