The Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA) has ramped up a suite of digital innovations designed to make skills training more accessible, inclusive, and future-ready for all Filipinos.

Under Secretary Kiko Benitez, TESDA continues to champion reforms that include a mobile, all-in-one app for tech-voc services, expanded artificial intelligence training programs, and upgrades to its online learning platform, supporting the administration’s broader push for digital transformation and workforce modernization.

At the core of TESDA’s digital reforms is the TESDA Skills Passport, which gets a new upgrade through a new eKYC (electronic Know-Your-Customer) feature, designed to streamline learner registration.

“Access is the first step to opportunity. By strengthening our digital systems like the eKYC-enabled TESDA Skills Passport and expanding e-TESDA offerings, we are removing barriers so Filipinos can immediately access training, and reskill and upskill anytime, anywhere, even without traditional requirements slowing them down,” the TESDA chief said.

The enhanced eKYC feature strengthens identity verification by allowing users to validate their identity through multiple secure options. These include matching personal information against PhilSys with a liveness check, or verifying via National ID number or QR code. It also supports alternative government-issued IDs such as Passport, Driver’s License, SSS ID, GSIS eCard, UMID, Postal ID, Voter’s ID, and PhilHealth ID.

The upgraded system is designed to ensure that more Filipinos, especially first-time users, returning workers, and those in geographically isolated areas, can immediately access training and upskilling opportunities, even while completing national digital identification requirements under the PhilSys.

Meanwhile, upskilling for emerging technologies is now more within reach as TESDA, in partnership with STI College, recently officially launched its AI Readiness Training Program to expand access to future-ready skills and open new pathways to employment for Filipinos.

This collaboration has introduced specialized courses under TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program, including Data Collection and Annotation (Data Science/Artificial Intelligence) Level II, AI Prompting for Automation Level III, and Data Analytics Level III, designed to prepare learners for careers in the digital and AI-driven economy.

These training programs are available in most STI campuses in Aklan, Bacolod, Bataan, Benguet, Bulacan, Camarines Norte, Cebu, General Santos City, Isabela, Manila, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Laguna, Leyte, Las Piñas, Pampanga, Quirino, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Tarlac.

Alongside these initiatives, TESDA continues to expand and upgrade its TESDA Online Program, accessible through e-tesda.gov.ph, reinforcing its commitment to flexible and accessible digital learning.

Through TESDA’s partnership with UNESCO-UNEVOC and the HP Foundation under UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy, selected HP LIFE Program courses are now available in e-TESDA, helping learners strengthen industry-relevant ICT, entrepreneurship, and Al skills for better employment and livelihood opportunities.

TESDA has also introduced new qualifications and online learning modules, including Early Childhood Care and Development Services NC III and Bookkeeping for Sangguniang Kabataan Financial Transactions NC II, which are designed to strengthen competencies in early childhood education management and local financial administration through practical, industry-relevant training. NEIL ALCOBER