Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 3 no. 9 (2025)

Disparities in Technical and Vocational Education Attrition in the Philippines: From Enrollment to Certification

Jackielyn U. Abao | Christopher R. Balaba | Mark Alain I. Cap-atan | Charlie H. Cosmiano | Ray Butch D. Mahinay

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

This study explores national and regional disparities in attrition across the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) pipeline in the Philippines, focusing on the transition from enrollment to TESDA certification. Despite rising national enrollment and graduation figures, significant leakages persist between critical stages—graduation, assessment, and certification. Using a descriptive-comparative research design and 2024 secondary data from TESDA, this study analyzes performance across all 17 regions, calculating attrition percentages and visualizing disparities through statistical tables and graphs. Findings reveal an overall national attrition rate of 14%, with the most substantial drop (5.93%) occurring between assessment and certification. Some regions, including CARAGA, CAR, and Region IX, exhibit alarmingly high total attrition rates exceeding 50%, underscoring the systemic barriers that hinder learners from completing the certification process. In contrast, regions such as VI and VIII show more favorable outcomes, highlighting the uneven distribution of TVET support and access across the country. Contributing factors to high attrition include limited access to assessment centers, weak industry linkages, and infrastructure deficits, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. The study underscores the need for region-specific, stage-targeted interventions to improve retention and certification outcomes. Strengthening public-private partnerships, enhancing assessment accessibility, and aligning programs with local labor market needs are recommended to bridge the gaps. These findings offer policy-relevant insights for TESDA and stakeholders in designing a more inclusive, responsive, and equitable TVET system that advances national goals in skills development and human capital formation



References:

  1. Asian Development Bank. (2021). Technical and vocational education and training in the Philippines in the age of Industry 4.0. In www.adb.org (No. 978-92-9262-575–7). https://doi.org/10.22617/tcs210084
  2. Baral, D. P. (2024). Declining enrollment in long-term engineering programs: Stakeholders’ perspectives. Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 18(1), 20–37. https://doi.org/10.3126/tvet.v18i1.62740
  3. Van Der Bijl, A., & Lawrence, M. (2018). Retention and attrition among national certificate (vocational) civil and construction students in South African TVET. Industry and Higher Education, 33(2), 127–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422218800649
  4. Bongani, J. (2023). Trends in access and success at Gert Sibande technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college. Journal of Education and Practice, 14(9), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/14-19-05
  5. Choi, S. (2021). Urban/rural disparities in the wage effect of additional vocational education after formal education: The case of the Philippines. International Journal of Training Research, 19(3), 229–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/14480220.2021.1935296
  6. Edralin, D., & Pastrana, R. (2023). Technical and vocational education and training in the Philippines: In retrospect and its future directions. Bedan Research Journal, 8(1), 138–172. https://doi.org/10.58870/berj.v8i1.50
  7. Relojo-Howell, D. (2024). Challenges and opportunities in implementing k-12 technical vocational tracks: A comprehensive review. Universal Library of Innovative Research and Studies, 01(01), 01–08. https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulirs.2024.0101001
  8. International Labour Organization (ILO). (2024). Skills for prosperity programme in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y6dh8fn4
  9. Ishtiaq, M. (2019). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. English Language Teaching, 12(5), 40. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n5p40
  10. Issa, R. R., & Raphael, C. (2025). Trends in programmes and enrolment patterns in technical and vocational education and training in East Africa. MUST Journal of Research and Development., 6(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.62277/mjrd2025v6i20001
  11. Vandenberg, P., & Laranjo, J. (2021). Vocational training and labor market outcomes in the Philippines. International Journal of Educational Development, 87, 102501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102501
  12. Mazlan, A., Manaf, Z., Talib, Z., & Bakar, A. R. (2017). Technical vocational education & training (TVET) in Malaysia: Selected works. Ministry of Higher Education. https://tinyurl.com/3nnrav95
  13. Orbeta, A. C. (2022). Vocational education and training in the Philippines. In: Symaco, L.P., Hayden, M. (eds) International Handbook on Education in South East Asia. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Singapore.1-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8136-3_9-1
  14. Orong, M. Y., Caroro, R. A., Durias, G. D., Cabrera, J. A., Lonzon, H., & Ricalde, G. T. (2020). A predictive analytics approach in determining the predictors of student attrition in the higher education institutions in the Philippines. 3rd International Conference on Software Engineering and Information Management, 222–225. https://doi.org/10.1145/3378936.3378956
  15. Philippine News Agency (PNA). (2024). Gov’t allots P15.2-B for TESDA projects in 2024. Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1208346
  16. PIDS. (2024). Issues in Philippine TVET: Responsiveness to industry demand and implementation. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/document/pidsrp2403.pdf?
  17. Ramadhani, R. I., & Crn, C. R. (2025). Trends in programmes and enrolment patterns in technical and vocational education and training in East Africa. MUST Journal of Research and Development (MJRD), 6(2), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.62277/mjrd2025v6i20001
  18. Rodzi, R. M., Basri, N. E. A., & Nopiah, Z. M. (2024). The cause of student dropout from TVET at the Malaysia industrial training institute. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i9/22740
  19. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (2024). TVET graduation by region (CY 2024). Retrieved from https://tesda.gov.ph/About/TESDA/53
  20. TESDA. (2019). Study on the employment of TVET graduates (SETG) [PDF]. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. https://tinyurl.com/3phxzwa4
  21. TESDA. (2020). Annual TVET statistics 2020 [PDF]. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. https://tinyurl.com/ye25a267
  22. TESDA. (2020). Annual TVET statistics 2017–2019 [PDF]. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. https://tinyurl.com/ye25a267
  23. TESDA. (2022).TVET statistics. Retrieved from https://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/Tesda/53 
  24. TESDA. (2023).TVET fact sheet 2019–2023 [PDF]. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. https://tinyurl.com/5b4vrsuz
  25. TESDA. (2024). 1st quarter TVET statistics. Retrieved from https://encr.pw/JMjHB
  26. TESDA. (2024). TESDA TVET statistics and regional reports. Retrieved from https://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/Tesda/53
  27. TESDA-Caraga. (2024). TESDA-Caraga scholars complete TVET training in 2024. Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/1240097
  28. TESDA. (2024). 2nd quarter TVET statistics. Retrieved from https://l1nq.com/xbGEo
  29. TESDA. (2024). 4th quarter TVET statistics. Retrieved from https://encr.pw/z7mpz
  30. TESDA. (2024). TVET statistics and provider data. Retrieved from https://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/Tesda/53
  31. TESDA News. (2024). TESDA cites 2024 accomplishments, vows strengthened Ph tech-voc. Retrieved from https://www.tesda.gov.ph/Media/NewsDetail/20388
  32. UNESCO-UNEVOC. (2019). Country profile: Philippines TVET system. UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. https://unevoc.unesco.org/wtdb/worldtvetdatabase_phl_en.pdf?
  33. UNESCO. (2023). TVET quality assurance: Addressing assessment and certification challenges in the Asia-Pacific. UNESCO. https://encr.pw/U6Sct
  34. United Nations Development Programme. (2024). TVET report: Learner/student attrition and ecosystem challenges in South African TVET colleges. Retrieved from https://l1nq.com/WZCPs
  35. Wongmonta, S. (2023). Revisiting the wage effects of vocational education and training (VET) over the life cycle: The case of Thailand. International Journal of Educational Development, 103, 102886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102886

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic