The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will give free skills training for qualified members of the National Press Club of the Philippines (or the NPC) and their dependents following the signing of an agreement between the two parties.

TESDA Director General, Secretary Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong and NPC President Paul Gutierrez led the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA), which is “in line with TESDA’s two-pronged strategy on poverty reduction” and “aims to provide interventions through skills development by providing access to training to journalists for self or wage-employment to uplift their economic status”.

Mamondiong said that the courses under the skills training are part of the Agency's Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).

All bonafide and qualified members of the NPC or any two of their children may avail of the skills training program for the press.

Officials and members of the NPC thanked TESDA for the skills training program as initiated by Mamondiong and Deputy Director General for TESD Operations Alvin Feliciano.

“The NPC extends its sincerest gratitude to TESDA, especially to Director General Guiling Mamondiong and to our colleague DDG Alvin Feliciano for opening this window of opportunity to the members of the press and their families.  This MOA would act as an inspiration to its hundreds of beneficiaries for a better future ahead of them as any holder of a TESDA certificate has a greater chance of finding work not only here but also abroad,” NPC President Gutierrez said.