Competency-based technical education prepares industrial technology students for national workforce certification. National workforce certification under TESDA Dressmaking NC II requires high precision and independent execution during practical garment evaluation. Practical garment evaluation challenges college learners who enter the program without prior vocational preparation in Senior High School. To diagnose these learning obstacles, this study assessed the baseline technical self-efficacy and certification readiness of non-vocational entrants. A total enumeration of 65 sophomore Apparel and Fashion Technology students at North Eastern Mindanao State University completed a validated structured questionnaire. The survey results showed a moderate level of technical self-efficacy across eight competency dimensions with an average weighted mean of 2.57. This moderate self-efficacy showed particular weaknesses in applying quality standards at 2.33 and sewing casual apparel at 2.45. These technical weaknesses corresponded with low perceived certification readiness, which obtained an overall grand mean of 2.51. Perceived readiness dropped to its lowest point in the psychomotor domain at 2.34, followed by the cognitive domain at 2.39, while the affective domain reached 2.81. These diagnostic findings confirm that high student motivation cannot compensate for hands-on skill deficits without direct workshop interventions. Technical instructors must therefore integrate deliberate stitching practice and quality inspection rubrics into early laboratory courses.