“Compete against standard,”

TESDA RD at skills Olympics

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—“Compete against the world,” not against your co-participants, says Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Regional Director Gamaliel Vicente Jr., in front of hundreds of scholars and technical vocational institutions (TVI) gathered for the TESDA Provincial Skills Olympics April 14-16, 2026.

At the opening ceremonies of the three-day skills competency competitions on the 8 livelihood skills courses which the TESDA put up for competitions among TVIs and Provincial Training Center (PTC) which offer these courses, Vicente told the contest participants that the ultimate global standard is what every contestant should aspire.

The TESDA regional director’s statements came in refute of a widely circulated belief: that locally especially Bohol acquired trade skills in technical and vocational courses are inferior due to limited resources and equipment of the teaching institutions.

A Boholana, Bea Hermosora, who represented Region 7 in the Worldskills ASEAN in Manila in 2025 picked the silver medal for Bakery trade skills, among skilled bakers from ASEAN countries.

WorldSkills ASEAN Competition is a regional version of the global WorldSkills Competition and showcases technical and vocational skills, including bakery, which Hermosora, who was trained at the TESDA PTC in Pilar, Bohol, joined.

RD Vicente’s call is in line with TESDA setting the national standards for technical-vocational education in the Philippines, with a goal of making Filipino workers competitive both locally and abroad.

He hinted that the training gained by scholars both at TESDA PTCs or private TVIS have to come up to the global benchmarks in WorldSkills International standards and industry-based competencies used in countries like Japan, United Arab Emirates, Canada where Filipino workers can seamlessly slip into the workforce.

“These are the pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and lifelong success,” Vicente said on the participation of teams in the trade skills Olympics.

For his part, Bohol governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, whose presence lent a huge psychological support even as he affired his Administration’s to empowering the local workforce.

“We believe that skills development is a powerful pathway toward meaningful employment and sustainable growth. It equips individuals not only with technical expertise, but also with confidence and dignity,” Aumentado said.

Citing the event as part of the broader effort to build a "smart, resilient, and inclusive" province, Aumentado, who has since carried on the challenge to increase job opportunities for Boholanos, added that by investing in human development, Bohol strengthens its people.

As you compete, may you demonstrate not only your knowledge, but also discipline and respect for one another. True success is not measured by medals alone, but by the lessons learned and the unity built throughout this competition, the governor urged.

According to TESDA Bohol Provincial Director Floro Ringca, the skills Olympics is an annual event of TESDA to pick for the best contestants for the regional and national skills competitions.

In Bohol, we have 8 trade areas for the competitions: cooking, bakery, restaurant services, electrical installation, welding, information technology network infrastructure, IT network system administration and fashion technology, Ringca enumerated, during a side event interview.

These 8 trade skills have different contestants from the technical vocational institutions giving them the training.

Opened for three venues, the 3-days skills Olympics had TVIs picking their best student trainees to compose their team in the competitions.

The venues are the Saulog Gym for IT network infrastructure, IT network system administration, and fashion technology; Bohol International Learning College in dela Paz Cortes for restaurant services, cooking and bakery while the PCT in Inabanga is the venue for welding and electrical installation.

Reiterating the reminder for the participants, PD Ringca said Don not compete against each other, rather race with the standard in mind.

That means, in a scoring system where every skill has to rack 700 points, the one who will get the highest points according to the standard, gets the gold, silver and bronze, Ringca said. (PIAbohol)

GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE. It wouldn’t matter if one is trained at a government’s provincial training center, or a private technical vocational institution, what would matter is that you attained the skills necessary to slip into the highly competitive global workplace. Here, Bea Hermosora trained at the PTC in Pilar proved it has nothing to do with where you are trained, what matters is how high you can rack up scores on the standards checklist. (PIAbohol)

BAKERY SKILLS. Among the strong skills Filipinos are known worldwide is bakery skills, something that a Boholana has proven in the ASEAN World skills cookfest in 2025. (PIABohol)

COMPETE AGAINTS THE STANDARD. TESDA RD Gamaliel Vicente Jr urges trade skills competitors to go and rack up scores on the standards checklist rather than planning to beat the competitor, this is a better way to get oneself into the largely competitive global work force. (PIABohol)