The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Online Program (TOP) has received thousands of Filipino enrollees for its free online courses amid the pandemic.

When the entirety of Luzon was placed under Enhance Community Quarantine, TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña encourage Filipinos to enroll at e-TESDA “to make good use of their time” while staying at home.

Since then, a daily average of 1,399 new users have registered to learn various courses under the TOP. From March 16 to March 29, a total of 19,598 enrollees have signed up and counting. And out of the total enrollees, “14,602 are new to the program, while the rest are old or returning users or registrants”.

“We hope that more of our kababayan will take this opportunity. Being free and accessible, one does not have to pay for any registration or enrollment fees, unlike other online courses. This is also a good time to enroll since the government is asking the public to stay home while we are fighting the spread of COVID-19,” Lapeña said.

TOP is a free educational resource that “aims to make technical education more accessible to Filipino citizens through the use of information and communication technologies”. It also provides an effective and efficient way to deliver technical education and skills development services to a broader audience at a lesser cost.

Listed below are the following available TOP courses:

• Agriculture
  • Fruit Grower
• Automotive
  • Automotive Battery Servicing
  • Diesel Engine Tune-Up
• Electrical and Electronics
  • Solar Night Light Assembly
  • Computer Systems Servicing NC II
• Entrepreneurship
  • Managing Your Personal Finances
  • STAR Online Training Program
  • Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)
• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigerator
  • Packaged Air Conditioner Unit Servicing
• Human Health / Health Care
  • Massage Therapy NC II
• Information and Communication Technology
  • Microsoft Online Courses
  • SMART Technopreneurship
  • Udacity – Google Courses
  • Udemy Courses
  • Web Development using HTML5 and CCS3
• Lifelong Learning Skills
  • Skills to Succeed Academy
  • Job Interview Skills Training Course
  • Skills to Succeed Academy
• Maritime
  • Ships’ Catering NC II (update)
• Social, Community Development, and Other Services
  • Beauty Care Services (Nail Care) NC II
• Tourism
  • Bread and Pastry Production NC II
  • Cookery NC II
  • Food and Beverages Servicing NC II
  • Front Office Services NC II
  • Housekeeping NC II
• TVET
  • Trainers Methodology I
  • Trainers Methodology II
• Processed Food and Beverages
  • Food Processing NC II
• 21st Century Skills
  • Environmental Literacy
  • Workplace Communication

How to enroll?

• Log in to your TOP account. If you’re a new user, sign up here.
• Once logged in, you will be taken to the TOP home page where the list of available courses is displayed. Click on the course you want to enroll.
• Then, click on the specific module you wish to take.
• On the left side of the navigation pane, under the administration panel, click on the “Enrol me in this course” link.
• A message box will appear asking if you really want to enroll in the module.

After completion, online learners can download their certificates. Training completers may visit any TESDA office near their areas for assessment and certification after the Community Quarantine has been lifted. TOP certificate can be used as a passport for National Competency Assessment.

“We assure our kababayan that this online program is a good channel for them to be productive inside their homes, while our frontliners and our government continue to secure the communities from harm brought by COVID-19,” Lapeña added.

For questions and other concerns, you may contact TESDA via tesdaonlineprogram@tesda.gov.ph or (+632) 893 8297.

—

The TESDA Online Program has now accumulated a total of 1,469,375 registered users since it was launched in 2012. The TOP website, www-e-tesda.gov.ph can also be accessed through the TESDA App, downloadable from Google Play and Apple Store.

(Source: TESDA, Manila Bulletin)