TESDA Skills Passport: A mobile app for job hunting, training, scholarships

In a world where almost everything is accessible in the digital space, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is keeping pace by rolling out a mobile application that brings jobs, training, and scholarships onto a single platform.

TESDA, together with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., launched the TESDA Skills Passport on Thursday, February 5, at the Makabagong San Juan Theater in San Juan City.

The TESDA Skills Passport serves as a one-stop digital hub where job seekers can find employment opportunities, employers can connect with skilled workers, and users can access free training courses and scholarship programs.

The app also safekeeps the user’s TESDA national certification, the official document that proves the person is “competent in a specific vocational skill” and the completed training programs. It also features a quick response (QR)-enabled resume for “easy sharing with potential employers.”

Users who have queries may tap Prof. K, the app’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.

According to TESDA Secretary Kiko Benitez, even non-TESDA graduates may use the app. They just have to be registered with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) to create an account. The PhilSys registration is necessary to ensure that accounts are genuine.

Here are the key features of the app:

Find jobs, workers

Just like other job searching platforms, the TESDA Skills Passport app allows users to create a job profile and scour for employment opportunities.

The listings include the salary offer for the vacant position, the job type, the work arrangement, and the office location.

The agency will partner with at least four job searching platforms to aggregate the job listings into the app, offering a wider range of opportunities for the users.

“So, the app works in such a way that it basically links you to [job search] portals,” Benitez told reporters at the sidelines of the launch.

“Even if you don’t have a TESDA certificate per se, you can basically send your application through the app,” he said. “But obviously, the app is better if you have a TESDA certification because then they can verify the veracity of the certificate that you have.”

Employers may also look for workers in the app.

They just have to type in the kind of worker they need and profiles of the candidates will appear. Just like in dating apps, the employer can swipe left if he/she does not see the profile fit for the role and swipe right to connect with the potential worker.

The app, Benitez said, aims to address job mismatch.

“There are lots of jobs out there — more jobs, actually, than there are unemployed Filipinos. So, there’s a mismatch, either a mismatch in skills or a mismatch in access to information as to where the jobs are and what it would take to get there. So, this app hopes to help fill that gap,” he explained.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that there were 2.25 million unemployed Filipinos and 5.11 million underemployed Filipinos in November 2025.

Learning paths, scholarship

Under the Learning Paths feature, users may upskill by enrolling in e-TESDA courses. These are “massive Open Online Courses for the technical education and skills development of the Filipino workforce.”

The agency offers various online courses about agriculture, beauty care, cookery, entrepreneurship, and information and communication technology, among others.

This feature allows even overseas Filipino workers to take the courses.

Meanwhile, those who want to take up technical education courses but lack funds may apply through TESDA’s scholarship programs.

The app has a Scholarship feature, wherein users may access in real time the TESDA scholarship programs. They can fill out the forms and track the status of their application through the app.

“Dati, kailangang face-to-face mag-apply [ng scholarships]. Ngayon, magla-log in na lang sa TESDA Skills Passport, pumunta lang sa Scholarship feature,” Benitez said.

(Before, scholarship applications had to be done face to face. Now, you just have to log in on the TESDA Skills Passport and go to the Scholarship feature.)

The training is conducted in TESDA-accredited training, assessment, and technology institutions, which can be located through the app’s Training Institution feature.

During the launch, Marcos stressed his administration’s support for education, saying it is the foundation for a successful future.

“Bukod pa sa pagpaparami ng mga training at scholarship, lalo pa natin pinapadali at pinapalapit ang mga oportunidad sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

(Aside from generating more training and scholarships, we even made opportunities easier and closer to our fellow Filipinos.)

“Ginamit na natin ang blockchain para maliwanag na maganda at totoo lahat ng impormasyon na inyong binibigay [sa app],” he said.

(We used blockchain to ensure that the information you input in the app is true.)

Benitez said proper protocols are in place to make sure that data in the app will be preserved.

The app can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices. – Rappler.com