The University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) unveiled two new competency standards on Monday, enhancing the country”s medical education framework.
The newly introduced qualifications are Cadaver Preservation Services Level III and Academic Simulation Services Level III. These standards aim to elevate the skills of technical staff who support future healthcare professionals in anatomy laboratories.
“Before there”s a doctor in the operating room, there”s a technician in the anatomy lab. During every simulation, there”s someone setting up the tools, fixing the systems, keeping things running when no one”s watching,” stated TESDA Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez at the launch event. “After the students graduate, those same people stay, building the next generation”s classroom of care. Today, TESDA and UP Manila stand together to say, “They are no longer invisible. Their work, their skills, their service – are now seen and recognized by us.”
This event marks the first formal development of competency standards for Anatomy Laboratory Technicians and General Laboratory Technicians by the government. The Cadaver Preservation Services Level III program will train learners in the handling, preservation, and management of cadavers for academic and research purposes, which includes anatomical embalming and ethical disposal. Graduates can work as Cadaver Care Technicians, Anatomy Laboratory Technicians, or Anatomic Embalmers.
Conversely, the Academic Simulation Services Level III program emphasizes the management and operation of simulation-based learning environments in health sciences education. Graduates from this program may become Simulation Technicians or Simulation Operations Specialists.
Benitez noted the growing number of medical schools due to the Doctor Para sa Bayan Act and stressed the necessity of having qualified technicians, simulation specialists, and laboratory personnel to facilitate quality education. This Act, officially known as Republic Act 11509, provides scholarships and return service obligations to assist deserving medical students in their educational pursuits.
According to TESDA”s 2025 TVET (Technical-Vocational Education and Training) Skills Insights Report entitled “Behind the Scenes of Care: Labor Insights into the Auxiliary Health Workforce,” each new medical school necessitates three to four laboratory technicians. As a response, TESDA and UP Manila identified six priority areas for TVET development: Anatomy Laboratory Technician, General Laboratory Technician, Cadaver Preservation, Cadaver Soft Embalming, Academic Simulation Assistant, and Simulation Technician.
The introduction of these competency standards is part of a memorandum of understanding between TESDA and UP Manila, signed in September of the previous year, aimed at establishing standards development, skills training, and enterprise-based learning to reinforce medical education.
UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee emphasized that these new competency standards fulfill the university”s long-standing goal of professionalizing the support personnel in medical and health sciences education. “As the prime mover for simulation-based and technology-driven health sciences education, UP Manila will ensure that support staff in health sciences courses are properly trained and recognized in the academic community,” Tee remarked.
