National Tech-Voc Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: August 25, 2024

The term technical and vocational education and training (TVET) refers to all forms and levels of education and training which provide people with knowledge and skills related to occupations in various sectors. TVET can occur at various levels of education, both in school-based and work-based learning contexts.

The history of TVET in the Philippines dates back to the Vocational Act of 1927 that provided for the promotion of agricultural and vocational education throughout the country. Eleven years later, the National Assembly of the Philippines passed another act regarding vocational training. It provided for the establishment of regional vocational trade and agricultural schools around the country. They were overseen by the Vocational Education Division of the Bureau of Public Schools.

In 1963, the Bureau of Vocational Education (BVI) was formed to replace the Vocational Education Division. Its main purpose was to strengthen, promote, coordinate, and expand vocational education programs in agricultural, trade-technical, industrial, and other areas. In 1975, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports was reorganized, which resulted in the dissolution of the BVI. The newly created Bureau of Secondary Education became responsible for TVET.

The situation began to change in 1982, when a new education act paved the way for the establishment of a new authority overseeing technical and vocational training in the Philippines, the Bureau of Technical and Vocational Education (BTVE). In 1994, the BTVE and several other agencies and programs were merged to create the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which oversees TVET in the Philippines to this day.

There currently are four types of TVET in the Philippines: school-based (public and private tech-voc schools, TVET programs in higher education establishments), center-based (TESDA regional and provincial training centers, centers affiliated with other government agencies), community-based (training and employment centers run by communities, NGOs, and government agencies), and enterprise-based TVET (apprenticeships, workplace-based training programs, dual training programs).

TVET schools and centers in the Philippines offer training programs in fields such as tourism, ICT, health and social services, automotive and land transportation, metals and engineering, electronics, agriculture and fishery, garments, footwear and leather goods, HVAC, food and beverages, maritime, aviation, wholesale and retail trading, visual arts, decorative arts, furniture and fixtures, utilities, and others.

National Tech-Voc Day, also known as National Technological and Vocational Education Day, is a working holiday that was established and celebrated for the first time in 2018. According to the act declaring August 25 as National Tech-Voc Day, the annual program of events and activities should be overseen by the Department of Education and the TESDA. These events and activities are held by government agencies, public and private educational institutions, and the private sector.