- TESDA
Caregiving (Elderly) NC II: Modules, Requirements, and Assessment
- Nico Vela
- 22 Oct 2026
Caregiving (Elderly) NC II is the TESDA qualification for caring for an elderly client. Six modules are on the TESDA Online Program (TOP). Finishing them can earn an e-certificate of completion. That is not a pass in competency assessment, and it is not yet a National Certificate (NC).
SiteDecide is an independent educational information resource and is not affiliated with TESDA. The details below come from the Training Regulation for Caregiving (Elderly) NC II, Revision 00, whose footer reads Promulgated (06/09/2020), and from the official TOP category page on 23 October 2026. TESDA Board Resolution No. 2023-03, issued on 16 August 2023, approved an amendment of the caregiving training regulations, including this qualification. The public notice does not say which lines changed. Download the current file from Training Regulations before you enroll at a training center or pay an assessment fee.
If you are new to TOP, start with the free TESDA online courses guide. The general path to an NC is in How to Get a National Certificate After a TESDA Online Course.
Who it is for
It is for someone who wants to care for an older person, whether for work or to help a relative more safely. The Training Regulation defines the qualification as the competencies required to:
- recognize the aging process
- take part in implementing and monitoring the client’s care plan
- perform caring skills
- perform specialty care procedures
- assist a client with prescribed medication
This is not the qualification for a newborn, a preschooler, a grade schooler, or a client with special needs. TESDA has separate NC II qualifications for those groups. It is also different from the older Caregiving NC II, which combined several client groups with household tasks.
The medication unit is assist. The caregiver helps the client with medicine a health professional has already prescribed. The online module covers preparing, assisting, recording, and reporting. The caregiver does not prescribe, and this qualification does not replace a nurse or a doctor.
In Revision 00, a trainee enrolling in the training program must have:
- completed at least 10 years of basic education, or an Alternative Learning System (ALS) certificate of completion equivalent to Grade 10
- basic communication skills
Those lines apply to a registered training program. On 23 October 2026, the TOP module cards did not repeat that checklist. A training center can still ask for it. Confirm the current requirement with the center, especially because of the 2023 amendment.
Which modules are online
On 23 October 2026, the official Caregiving (Elderly) NC II category listed six modules. The same six appear in the SiteDecide catalog checked on 21 October 2026. The catalog can change, so check e-tesda.gov.ph again before you enroll.
| Online module | What the TOP course card covers |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Caregiving | Basic and common competencies for work as a caregiver in health, wellness, and other social services |
| Developing the Ability to Recognize Aging Process | Changes that come with aging, caregiving principles, therapeutic communication, behavior management, infection control, safety, and sanitation |
| Participating in the Implementation and Monitoring of Client's Care Plan | Organizing, providing, and monitoring support within the formal care plan, including endorsement |
| Performing Caring Skills | Assisting with the client’s daily care under the care plan, including vital signs and other daily tasks |
| Performing Specialty Care Procedures | Technical care in the individualized plan. The module introduces basic wound care, hot and cold therapy, and palliative care |
| Assisting Client in Administering Prescribed Medication | Preparing, assisting, recording, and reporting prescribed medication |
Introduction to Caregiving is the online module for the basic and common units. The next five match the five core units in the Training Regulation.
Supervised Industry Learning (SIL) is not an online module. In Revision 00, SIL is 160 hours. Those hours sit on top of 401 hours of basic, common, and core instruction. The nominal total for a registered program is 561 hours. SIL is supervised practice in a workplace. It had no course card in the TOP category reviewed on 23 October 2026.
The demonstration required at assessment is not an online quiz either. TOP can help you study the knowledge. Showing the skill to an assessor is a separate step.
| Part of a registered program | Nominal hours in Revision 00 |
|---|---|
| Basic competencies | 37 |
| Common competencies | 112 |
| Core competencies | 252 |
| Subtotal before SIL | 401 |
| Supervised Industry Learning | 160 |
| Total | 561 |
These hours are not a timer inside TOP. The online modules are self-paced. Finishing the six course cards does not mean the 561 hours are complete.
A training slot with an allowance is a scholarship, not TOP. The difference is in the free TESDA face-to-face scholarship guide.
Requirements
These are three different lists.
For TOP. The account and enrollment on e-tesda.gov.ph have no tuition. You need an email address, an internet connection, and a device. Follow the enrollment steps in the free TESDA online courses guide. Avoid pages that charge a fee to enroll you in TOP.
For a registered training program. In Revision 00, that is Grade 10 or an ALS equivalent, plus basic communication skills. Bring what the center asks for. The checklist can differ if the TR has been updated.
For assessment. This is separate from a TOP login. The general application uses an application form and the Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) for the exact qualification. The steps page, the FAQ, and the Citizen’s Charter do not use the same photo count, so follow the center’s checklist. Those differences are in the National Certificate guide. Download the Caregiving (Elderly) NC II SAG from Self-Assessment Guides when it is listed there, or get the form from the center.
There is an assessment fee. It is separate from free TOP enrollment. Pay it at the assessment center’s cashier and keep the official receipt. Do not pay a Facebook page or a fixer.
How assessment works
Competency assessment collects evidence that you can perform the work to the standard. To receive the national qualification Caregiving (Elderly) NC II, you must demonstrate competence in every unit in Section 1 of the Training Regulation. The TESDA Director General signs the NC.
Assessment focuses on the core units. Basic and common units are integrated, or assessed at the same time, with the core units. For the medication unit, the evidence guide says assessment may use demonstration with questioning, observation with questioning, and an interview. The setting is the actual workplace or a TESDA-accredited assessment center. Other units also use demonstration, oral questioning, or a written test. TOP completion is not listed as the assessment method.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| E-certificate of completion | You finished the online module in TOP |
| Certificate of Competency (COC) | You passed one unit, or a cluster of units |
| National Certificate (NC) | You passed every unit in the qualification |
Revision 00 says these candidates may apply for assessment:
- a graduate of a WTR-registered program, an NTR-registered program, or formal, non-formal, or informal training, including enterprise-based training, related to Caregiving (Elderly) NC II
- an experienced worker, employed or self-employed, who gained caregiving competencies for at least two years within the last five years
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a separate path. The TR says a candidate who gained competencies through education, informal training, previous work, or life experience, and who has at least three years of caregiving experience within the last five years, may apply through portfolio assessment. The TR points to TESDA Circular No. 47, series of 2018, and Circular No. 118, series of 2019. Ask the assessment center which path applies to you. A TOP e-certificate is not that portfolio. It is also not one of the documents on TESDA’s general new-applicant list.
A holder of an NC or COC in Caregiving Services NC II must be reassessed under the amended TR when that certificate expires, according to Revision 00. If your certificate uses an older caregiving title, ask the TESDA office that issued it before you assume it still matches this qualification. An NC or COC is valid for five years under the assessment FAQ. Check the date on the certificate as well.
Look for a center accredited for Caregiving (Elderly) NC II, not only for another caregiving course. Use the Assessment Centers page or the Assessment Center Index. Confirm the schedule, the requirements, and the fee before you pay. The list shows accredited centers. It does not book a slot.
Finishing TOP is not the same as passing the assessment
| Finished the six TOP modules | Passed competency assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| Document | E-certificate of completion, when the course issues one | NC for every unit; COC for only part of the qualification |
| Where | Your account on e-tesda.gov.ph | An accredited assessment center, TESDA office, or TESDA TVET assessment center |
| Fee | No TOP tuition | An assessment fee |
| SIL | Not included in the online modules | Included in the nominal hours of a registered training program |
| What it shows | You studied the lessons | You demonstrated the standard |
Use TOP as preparation. The lessons do not replace the assessor’s judgment. How to download the e-certificate, and how to check an NC or COC in the registry, is in How to Download and Verify a TESDA e-Certificate.
Common questions
Who is Caregiving (Elderly) NC II for?
It is for someone who wants to care for an elderly client. It covers the aging process, the care plan, daily caring skills, specialty care procedures, and assisting with prescribed medication. It is a different qualification from caregiving for a newborn, a grade schooler, or clients with special needs.
Which modules are online?
TOP listed six on 23 October 2026: Introduction to Caregiving, Developing the Ability to Recognize Aging Process, Participating in the Implementation and Monitoring of Client's Care Plan, Performing Caring Skills, Performing Specialty Care Procedures, and Assisting Client in Administering Prescribed Medication. Supervised Industry Learning is not an online module.
If I finish TOP, have I passed the assessment?
No. You may receive an e-certificate of completion. TESDA issues the NC after you demonstrate every unit in competency assessment.
What is the entry requirement for the training program?
In Revision 00, at least 10 years of basic education or an ALS certificate equivalent to Grade 10, plus basic communication skills. Confirm with the training center that this is still the current requirement.
Official links
- Caregiving (Elderly) NC II on TOP
- TESDA Online Program
- Training Regulations
- TESDA Board Resolution No. 2023-03
- Assessment and certification FAQ
- Application steps
- Self-Assessment Guides
Enroll on the official TOP site if you want to start with the online lessons. If an employer asks for the NC, treat TOP as study, then confirm the schedule and the requirements for Caregiving (Elderly) NC II with an accredited assessment center.
