GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/23 Aug) – The city government is working for the accreditation of its flagship computer literacy program (CLP) as a learning and assessment conduit of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA).
Percival Pasuelo, executive assistant for information technology of the city mayor’s office, said they are currently reviewing the course modules being offered under the city’s enhanced SHEEP-CLP in a bid to match them with the standards set by TESDA. SHEEP stands for Social Transformation, Human Empowerment, Economic Diversification, Environment Security and Regeneration and Participatory Governance and Transparency, which are the city’s main development thrusts.
“These modules will be compressed and realigned with the accredited standard courses set by TESDA,” he said in a statement.
The city government earlier launched the CLP as a major component of the SHEEP program’s education-related initiatives.
Pasuelo said the city government is pushing for the SHEEP-CLP’s accreditation with TESDA to pave the way for its institutionalization.
He said the TESDA Region 12 office, acting on a directive from its head office, is presently assisting the local government in complying with the requirements for the accreditation of SHEEP-CLP.
In a visit here last month, he said TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva directed TESDA Region 12 director Zeus Ampuyas to specifically accredit the SHEEP-CLP “as a new TESDA Assessment Center.”
Such move came after City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio presented to the TESDA chief the “re-engineered” SHEEP-CLP, its functionalities and the innovations it adopted.
Through the SHEEP-CLP, the local government has been offering free computer-related training courses to local residents.
Pasuelo said the computer training modules range from basic to advanced courses, the most recent addition of which was a module on robotics technology.
He said the regular training courses are blogging using WordPress, newsletter lay-outing using Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Publisher, photo editing using Adobe Photoshop, caricature making using Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD and Google SketchUp!, audio-visual presentation using ProShow, electronic notation using NoteWorthy Composer, digital recording using Adobe Audition, introductory bookkeeping using Microsoft Excel, basic computer operation with Microsoft Word, computer animation using ToonBoom, traditional animation, and call center training.
As part of the accreditation initiative, Pasuelo said TESDA Region 12 initially required their trainers to acquire the agency’s national certification and also undergo and pass the assessment methodology training methodology or AMTM.
SHEEP-CLP was asked to submit an executive order issued by the city mayor or a Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution in lieu of the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC registration required by the agency from private schools, he said.
When eventually accredited by TESDA, Pasuelo added that Mayor Custodio expects that more local residents would benefit from the program and may later avail of training vouchers from the agency that will be coursed through the SHEEP-CLP center.
(Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)
