Tesda trainers update automotive know-how in Toyota Motors immersion program

Joel Villanueva INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — To produce a highly skilled workforce in the automotive industry, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and Toyota Motors Philippines teamed up to upgrade the know-how of the government agency’s trainers.

The 12 selected participants in last month’s Automotive Trainers for Industry Immersion are expected to pass on their upgraded skills to Tesda trainees in automotive servicing.

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva said the partnership with Toyota for the immersion program would update the agency’s trainers on trends and practices as well as emerging technologies in the automotive industry.

“This will keep the trainers ahead in the industry,” he pointed out, adding that the trainers would help upgrade the Tesda training curricula and the competency-based learning modules.

He said, “The quality of our technical vocational graduates rests heavily on the relevance of the training programs and the kind of training they imbibe from the people at the frontline.”

Villanueva pointed out that the upgraded skills of the trainers would result in a multiplier effect as they would be sharing their updated know-how with their colleagues and eventually the technical-vocational students.

The 12 trainers underwent immersion from October 20 to 30 at the Toyota administrative and service center compound in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The trainers’ training under Toyota’s seasoned instructors focused on the company’s computer control system and electronic-controlled transmission.

Villanueva considered the trainers crucial in developing quality workers in the automotive sector to meet the industry’s requirements.

“It’s a win-win situation actually since the company benefited from the program as the trainers served as workforce during the immersion. The knowledge from the academe is shared with their company counterparts and on the side of the industry trainers, a sense of fulfillment that they were able to share their experience,” the Tesda chief said, acknowledging Toyota’s vital role in the program.

He expressed hope that Tesda’s partnership with Toyota would continue to address the country’s need for highly skilled automotive technicians and make more jobs available in the industry.

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