The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region (TESDA-CAR) hosted a 9-day Post Training Workshop on Design Thinking Immersion and Entrepreneurship for Innovation as part of a simultaneous nationwide conduct of the multiplier training for TESDA trainers.
The simultaneous trainings are facilitated by the 25 TESDA trainers who underwent the same training and immersion in Singapore last year under the sponsorship of the Singapore Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
“We need to think as innovators and entrepreneurs in our training institutions, so we can generate income while our trainees can gain actual business experience,” said Acting Regional Director Manuel B. Wong of TESDA-CAR during the opening program.
Wong added that design thinking is a timely and relevant training for TESDA trainers in the face of challenges in the Technical Vocational Education and Training or TVET sector, noting that the workshop draws from the business incubation concept of the ITE in Singapore.
Accordingly, design thinking is a human-centered, design-based approach to encourage innovation and is being used by prestigious companies such as Apple and Procter and Gamble. It is a design to solve problems from the point of view of the users.
“This training shows TESDA’s policy to continually upgrade staff particularly in this 4th Industrial Revolution where highly technical skills are a must, but soft skills like critical thinking, innovation and communication are equally important,” said Marlyn G. Necesito, Regional Operations Division Chief of TESDA-CAR.
According to Noriel K. Ramos of the Regional Training Center-Baguio and one of the facilitators, the participants are expected to design innovations that would solve problems in the processes of the training institutions from the point of view of their clients.
The workshop was held on June 11-20, 2019 at Teacher’s Camp, Baguio City, with 25 participants coming from Regions I, II, III and CAR.
By Bernice B. Lee
