APACC Conducts On-Site Visit to ASSAT, Agusan Del Sur, Philippines

The Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) conducted an on-site visit to the Agusan del Sur School of Arts and Trades located at Governor Democrito O. Plaza Government Center, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, Philippines from July 21 – 22, 2009. Members of the team included Prof. TJ Tesoro – Gayondato, Team Leader and Dr. Renato Sorolla, Team Member.

The on-site visit facilitated the validation of the Self Study Report submitted by the school to assess their compliance to APACC standards. Result of the visits will be determined after the accreditation procedure and will be announced accordingly.

ASSAT is a Public Vocational Training School established by virtue of Philippine Republic Act 8565 enacted on September 30, 1975 which provided for the offering of a general secondary education curriculum with practical arts and short vocational courses for training vocations needed in the locality. The law further provided the school to open, as soon as feasible, two-year post-secondary technical courses under the supervision of the Bureau of Technical Vocational Education. With the creation of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in 1994 through Republic Act 7796, the school was then absorbed by the authority thereby realigning its curricular offerings with the standards of TESDA.

ASSAT’s mission is to provide quality technical vocational education, skills development and training system; develop full potentials of students in non-traditional trades; enhance entrepreneurial skills; and inculcate desirable values through moral development of the student populace towards a new dawn of industrialization. It is currently headed by the Vocational School Administrator III, Mr. Nardo C. Mariano.

Competency-Based Courses being offered in ASSAT include Automotive Servicing (National Certificate [NC] II) – their Distinctive Area of Competence, Scaffold Erection (NC II), Reinforced Steel Bar Installation (NC II), Tile Setting (NC II), Masonry (NC II), Carpentry (NC II), Plumbing (NC II), Construction Painting (NC II), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (NC II), Shielded Metal Arc Welding (NC II), Consumer Electronics Servicing (NC II), Commercial Cooking (NC II), Computer Hardware Servicing (NC II), Dressmaking (NC II), English Language, and Arabic Language and Saudi/Gulf Culture.