A total of 81,668 individuals in the Davao Region have benefitted from Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA-11) scholarship programs since the start of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration.

At the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum here Tuesday, Melanie Domingo, administrator of TESDA’s Wangan National Agricultural School, highlighted how the programs provide financial support to make technical education accessible to underprivileged sectors.

Among the scholars, 29,450 were accepted into the Training for Work Scholarship Program, followed by 18,489 under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, 12,703 in the Special Training for Employment Program, and 9,955 in the Tulong Trabaho Scholarship Program.

The Rice Extension Services Program benefited 7,171 individuals, while the Coconut Farmers Scholarship Program supported 1,911.

The Private Education Student Financial Assistance program helped 1,309 scholars, and the Tsuper Iskolar program aided 680 beneficiaries.

Domingo also noted TESDA-11’s milestones in skills training over the past three years. Enrollees increased from 63,737 in 2022 to 82,665 in 2023 and reached 83,146 as of Dec. 10, 2024.

“Similarly, the number of graduates rose consistently, demonstrating the effectiveness of our training programs,” Domingo said.

She added that TESDA-11 has expanded its registered Technical and Vocational Education and Training programs to meet growing regional demand — from 56 in 2022 to 277 in 2023, before settling at 222 in 2024.

Domingo emphasized the importance of partnerships, saying TESDA-11 established 545 collaborations with industries, local government units, and academic institutions from 2022 to 2024 to ensure the programs’ success. (PNA)