The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) on Friday welcomed Jose Francisco “Kiko” B. Benitez as the new director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who also serves as chairperson of the TESDA Board, lauded Benitez’s capability to fulfill the role given his contributions and expertise as co-commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education tasked to undertake comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.

“With his extensive experience and public service, including his tenure as co-commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, I truly trust and believe that he will push TESDA to greater heights to ensure the continued development of technical and vocational education and training in our language,” Laguesma said in his message.

Laguesma also hailed TESDA on its milestone year for being at the forefront of providing relevant, accessible, high-quality, and efficient technical-vocational education and skills development in support of the administration’s goals of developing a globally competitive Filipino workforce.

He cited that the commemoration was also an opportunity to set TESDA’s vision and goals for the next years, guided by the national and sectoral development plans — the Philippine Development Plan, Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, and the National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan.