MANILA – The Department of Education’s (DepEd) new Technical Professional (TechPro) track aims to address gaps in technical-vocational education in senior high school, according to TESDA Director General Francisco “Kiko” Benitez.

Benitez made the statement during the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on TESDA’s proposed 2026 budget, highlighting the misalignment between the previous Senior High School Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (SHS-TVL) track and TESDA’s assessment requirements.

Of the more than 500,000 SHS-TVL Grade 12 completers eligible for assessment, only 35% have taken the TESDA assessment, despite a special provision in the 2025 General Appropriations Bill mandating assessment for SHS-TVL graduates.

“In a perfect world, ‘yung mga Senior High School students taking the TVL track, o ngayon TechPro na, should be assessed and may certification sila,” said Senate Committee on Finance Chair and EDCOM 2 Commissioner Sen. Win Gatchalian.

Benitez cited several reasons for the low assessment rate, including graduates’ voluntary choice to skip assessment if they plan to go to college and the misalignment between the SHS-TVL curriculum and TESDA’s Training Regulations.

On aligning the system, Benitez said, “The first is making sure that DepEd is ready, and the readiness of DepEd will require, for example, that those that are in fact teaching TVL tracks have the appropriate TESDA assessment and certification…Once that is ready, DepEd then can make it ready for all – at least SHS students – to undergo assessment, whether they pass or not pass…”

The TechPro track replaces the previous SHS-TVL pathway and provides specialized, hands-on training in areas such as agriculture, ICT, and industrial arts, aligned with industry needs. Graduates are expected to enter the workforce immediately, with some earning TESDA National Certifications through embedded skills already certifiable within the curriculum.

Benitez added that the new curriculum is being rolled out gradually. “We expect more, by January or so, to be taking the elective courses,” he said, noting that TVET National Certifications will also be embedded in the teacher education curriculum.

“Magiging kumpleto na po ang ecosystem ng tech-voc training from Senior High School, all the way up to CHEd, with capacitation of our teachers, both pre- and in-service. Kasi ‘yun po talaga ang magiging key sa reform. The timeline for that is maybe a year to two years from now,” Benitez added.