The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority said Monday it expanded its digital course for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to get started during the coronavirus quarantine.
Called iSTAR, the project is an upgrade of the original Sari-Sari Store Training and Access Resources (STAR), which helped female owners of small-scale retail outlets become more successful through basic entrepreneurship training, access to resources (microfinance, merchandising), and peer mentoring. The iSTAR will be open to both men and women.
Another thing that sets iSTAR apart from STAR is the digital nature, which will make it available to more people. According to TESDA Chief Isidro Lapeña, 80% of training will be done online, while the rest will be in-person.
The program, which is set to be launched before the year ends, will be made accessible via the TESDA Online Program. "Once the iSTAR is available, we hope that more people will take the opportunity to learn more for free. This is the best time to learn how to be enterprising, and how one can be able to start a small business," he said.
