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In the context of 21st-century teacher education, there is a growing demand for educators who possess not only pedagogical expertise but also technical and practical competencies that enhance their employability and professional credibility. Despite this, a gap persists in understanding how National Certificate (NC) skills, typically associated with technical-vocational qualifications, contribute to the professional preparedness and credential confidence of teacher education graduates. This exploratory qualitative study conducted in the Philippines examined how pre-service and in-service teachers perceived the relevance of National Certificate (NC) skills in shaping professional preparedness and employability confidence within teacher education programs. Anchored in Human Capital Theory, the study explored how participants interpreted technical-vocational competencies as contributing to perceived professional value and labor-market positioning. Twenty participants participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that participants perceived NC skills as supporting experiential teaching practices, enhancing perceived instructional readiness, and strengthening credential confidence during hiring processes. Its findings highlight how teachers interpret NC credentials as symbolic and experiential resources that contribute to perceived employability rather than demonstrating causal curriculum effects. The study provides insight into how teacher education stakeholders understand technical-vocational integration within academic pathways in the Philippine context. The study explored how pre-service and in-service teachers in the Philippines perceived the relevance of National Certificate competencies in shaping their sense of professional preparedness, instructional readiness, and employability positioning. Participants reported that NC-related experiences were interpreted as supporting experiential teaching practices, awareness of industry expectations, and confidence when presenting technical competencies during hiring processes. Rather than demonstrating curriculum effects, the findings reflect participants’ perceptions that certification functions as a symbolic and experiential resource influencing how they position themselves professionally. Participants also described variability in exposure to NC training, indicating uneven integration across teacher education programs. The study contributes to understanding how teachers interpret technical-vocational credentials within academic pathways and how these interpretations relate to perceived professional value and labor-market positioning.