MANILA — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Tuesday urged workers to avail of government-sponsored training programs on agriculture and technology to earn more skills and livelihood opportunities.

TESDA has been “focusing more on the priorities of our President on agriculture, construction, IT and BPO,” said TESDA Deputy Director General Aniceto John Bertiz.

“Mas madedevelop natin 'yung ating workforce pati na rin ang skills ng ating learners,” he said in a televised briefing.

“Nag-ooffer tayo ng agriculture technologies para sa ating mga learnerds na hindi pa handa pumasok sa mismong courses.

“Nakikipagugnayan din tayo sa mga local government units especially para sa mga modern skills training like cybersecurity… renewable energy,” he added.

At least 90 percent of TESDA students have successfully landed jobs after completing their training, Bertiz said.

“Yung mga dinedevelop nating courses ay may patutunguhang trabaho ang ating mga learners,” he said.

“Nakakatulong tayo hindi lang sa learners na nawalan ng trabaho during the pandemic pero maging sa mga employers,” he said.

The public can also learn foreign languages such as Nihonggo, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, French and German to become language tutors, he said.

Baking and pastry-making seminars are also available, he said.

Aside from technical courses, TESDA is also offering 150 online programs for free, he said, noting that the full list of programs may be found on the agency’s official website.

“Our skill is our future. The more na mayroon tayong kaalamana, kakayahan, the more tayo magkakaroon ng mga opportunities,” he said.