TESDA goes hi-tech with Google Apps

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Philippines’ prime agency for providing technical vocational education and training (TVET), recently worked with Google to increase collaboration and improve communication with all TESDA employees.

Tech-voc students, trainers and staff will now have an access to a collaborative suite of free online applications thru Google Apps for Education, also used by many educational institutions.

With Google Apps for Education, they will be able to send and receive e-mail with a @tesda.gov.ph domain name, store data and share documents with Drive, hold web-based video conferences with Google+Hangouts and easily develop websites by using its Sites.

“Technology is increasingly playing a starring role in schools and educational institutions in helping students learn. Our adoption of the Google Apps is a testament to this,” said Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA Director General.

Janet Suzie Yoon, country lead for Google Apps Supporting Program, said she hopes the use of the Google Apps would provide a new learning experience to both the students and educators, and help expand the reach of TVET among Filipinos in the country and overseas.

We are very excited to be working with TESDA on this ground breaking project, and hope it will empower your staff and the agency as a whole,” said Yoon in a letter to Sec. Villanueva sent before the launch. The project will be implemented first in the TESDA Central Office afterwards it will be expanded to the regional and provincial units, and later on, in the agency’s technology institutes. (Roselyn Salagan)