GSIS-TESDA partnership produces first graduates in Davao
GSIS and TESDA have produced their first 19 graduates in Davao under a Skills Partnership Program that trains unemployed dependents of GSIS members and pensioners in bread and pastry production, automotive servicing, and cookery.
NEWS
8/3/20262 min read
GSIS Trustees Evelina Escudero, Gilbert Sadsad, and Rolando Toledo join the first batch of graduates of the GSIS-TESDA Skills Partnership Program in Davao. Nineteen dependents of GSIS members and pensioners completed the Bread and Pastry Production course, gaining skills to expand their employment and livelihood opportunities.
Nineteen dependents of Government Service Insurance System members and pensioners have become the first graduates of the GSIS-Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Skills Partnership Program, marking the initial milestone in the pension fund's push to equip members' and pensioners' families with employable skills.
The graduation supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s drive to expand technical-vocational education and open up more livelihood opportunities for Filipinos, offering free skills training to unemployed dependents of GSIS members and pensioners.
Approved by the GSIS Board of Trustees, the pilot program runs in three sites: Bread and Pastry Production in Davao, Automotive Servicing in Cebu, and Cookery in Legazpi. In Davao, 19 applicants completed the Bread and Pastry Production course and are now eligible to sit for TESDA's competency assessment for National Certification, an industry-recognized credential that can strengthen their chances at employment or starting their own business.
The program is open to unemployed spouses, children or siblings of active GSIS members and pensioners who are at least 18 years old, live within the pilot areas, and meet TESDA's qualification requirements.
GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso said the initiative reflects the pension fund's commitment to improving the lives of members' families even before retirement.
"Most people understand the GSIS through one number: the pension waiting for them after years of service. That number matters, and we work hard to protect it. But I have come to believe the GSIS owes society more than that one number, even before retirement comes," Veloso said.
He framed the program as part of GSIS's "social dividend," giving members' families a chance to build better futures while their loved ones are still in government service.
"Nineteen dependents of our members and pensioners are now trained and ready to build something of their own. We did not wait for retirement to make a difference in these families. We made it now, while it could still change the shape of someone's year, not just their old age," he added.
Representing the GSIS Board of Trustees, Trustee Evelina Escudero said the graduation shows the impact of the board's decision to back the program.
"When this program was presented to the Board, we asked whether it would truly benefit our members and pensioners and whether it was something the GSIS could sustain. Now, we are seeing the results of that decision," Escudero said.
She added that the board is optimistic about expanding beyond the three pilot sites once the initial rollout has been evaluated.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, congratulations to all nineteen graduates. We hope the skills you have gained will open more opportunities for you, your families, and your communities," she said.