DUMAGUETE CITY, June 3 -- Negros Oriental will host the first-ever Negros Island Region (NIR) Regional Skills Competition from June 8 to 10, with 75 participants from three provinces competing in 17 events, officials of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) announced Wednesday.

Nina Connie Dodd, acting TESDA regional director in NIR, expressed excitement over the activity, dubbed "WorldSkills Philippines NIR 2026."

"We want to showcase that NIR, despite being a new region and smaller than other regions, our graduates, the trainees that we produce, are at par or even excel in international standards," Dodd said.

She said joining the WorldSkills Competition will help them "gauge the competencies of our standar...