Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general secretary Augusto ‘Boboy’ Syjuco announced that the TESDA is fast tracking the assessment of seafarers and continues to issue certificates of competency (COCs), belying the complaint of the Retired Seafarers Association (RSA) that the agency has stopped the issuance of COCs.
The complaint is not true. The complainant may not have checked the matter with TESDA, Syjuco said in a press release.
As a matter of due course, the TESDA continues to issue COCs and has a fulltime maritime processing officer to attend to seafarer clients, he added.
Syjuco, who holds the rank of cabinet secretary, also dismissed the RSA’s complaint that the alleged stoppage will cause delay in the deployment of seafarers.
Since the TESDA has not stopped issuing COCs, how could there be a delay in the deployment of seafarers? he asked.
Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that in 2007, the country deployed 266,553 seafarers, or 25 percent of the total OFW deployment of 1.07 million.
Of the number, 61,307 (23 percent) are officers; 165,263 (62 percent) are ratings; and 33,983 (15 percent) are other passenger ship personnel.
The same data also show that as of September 2008, the country has a total skills demonstration administered to new entrants in the seafaring profession.
He emphasized that a seafarer must pass the TESDA competency assessment before he could be issued a COC, which has a validity of five years.
Syjuco said that TESDA has six accredited assessment centers for deck and engine ratings located in regions 3, 6, 8 and in the National Capital Region. Three assessment centers in Regions 4-A, 7, and 11 are undergoing re-accreditation process.
In Metro Manila, TESDA-NCR conducts portfolio assessment through the Free Assessment Service of TESDA (FAST), while performance assessment is administered by accredited assessment centers. (TESDA News and Features)
