Toyota student technician wins gold at TESDA skills tilt

A 20-year-old student from Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology (TMP Tech) won gold at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s WorldSkills Philippines Clark 2026, earning a spot in the Philippine delegation to a regional competition.

David Kryzjan Escobar, a student from TMP Tech’s Automotive Servicing General Job Batch 24, represented Calabarzon in the Automobile Technology category and competed against delegates from 10 other regions.

Coached by TMP Tech master instructor Apolinar Rampola, Escobar took the gold medal under the Transportation and Logistics sector.

Escobar was among 298 young Filipinos who competed in this year’s WorldSkills Philippines, a national skills competition organized by TESDA for technical-vocational students and industry-trained youth.

His medal contributed to Calabarzon’s 17-medal haul, which helped the region emerge as overall national champion.

Escobar and other medalists will represent the Philippines at the WorldSkills ASEAN Competition in 2027.

TMP Tech said its students have competed in three WorldSkills categories at the provincial, regional and national levels this year, winning seven gold medals.

The technical-vocational school trains automotive technicians in areas including diesel and gasoline engine diagnostics, repair and servicing, as well as internal combustion and hybrid powertrain technologies.

Since its establishment in 2013, TMP Tech has produced about 3,000 graduates, with more than 200 deployed to Japan as of this year.

The school expanded to Central Luzon in August with the opening of its second branch in San Fernando, Pampanga, offering automotive after-sales service training to students in the region.