COTABATO CITY — A total of 400 technical-vocational scholars participated in the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education through its Technical Education Skills Development’s (MBHTE-TESD) Training Induction Program on Wednesday, Sept. 7, in this city.
The activity was conducted under the Bangsamoro Scholarship Program for Technical Vocational Education and Training – Tulong ng TekBok Para sa mamamayang Bangsamoro (BSPTVET TTPB) in partnership with nine (9) Technical Vocational Institutes (TVIs).
MBHTE-TESD Regional Director Ruby Andong stressed that the activity is being conducted to inform the trainees and concerned stakeholders about the importance of providing quality knowledge and skills for all citizens across the Bangsamoro region.
“The pandemic has taught us to be innovative, adaptive, and to continue the learning process within our capability […] we ensure that our programs in vocational and technical schools are relative to the needs of the Bangsamoro,” Director Andong said.
TVIs offer various course areas such as Electronics Products Assembly and Servicing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Cookery, Agricultural Crops Production, Masonry, Driving, Agricultural Crops Production, Carpentry, Bread And Pastry Production, Food Processing, PV Systems Installation, Computer Systems Servicing as well as Shielded Metal.
Meanwhile, Khominie Abas, Maguindanao Scholarship focal person, underscored the rules and obligations of each recipient.
“Ang skills training natin ay free. Ang sa inyo lang ay kung paano kayo mag-aral at magkaroon ng iba’t ibang kakayahan na tutulong sa pag-unlad ng inyong kabuhayan, at kayo rin ay sasabak sa assessment, kaya dapat pagbutihan ninyo ang training,” he said.
Scholars are composed of Out of School Youth (OSY), Persons with Disabilities (PWD), farmers, students, housewives, single parents as well as pedicab drivers.
Aside from free training and assessment, the trainees will also receive a support fund allowance after completing the trainings.
Despite communication struggles, Marsad Bangon, Bai Ayesha Guiapal, Bairaida Abdulhamid, and Nuruljani Ampatuan—trainees from Notre Dame-RVM College of Cotabato for food processing skills—showed that deaf people can also do something, too, and that disability was not an obstacle to learning.
Accordingly, they wish to help their parents and have stable jobs by becoming experts in their chosen skills.
They also want to spread awareness about the importance of learning and teaching sign language to deaf children.
“I wanted to prove that I can do something, and hopefully, I could teach sign language to other people (with special needs),” said Bangon.
The 400 trainees were from nine TVIs, namely: Academia De Tecnologia in Mindanao, Inc.; AGB Techsquad, Inc.; A4 College of Peace and Wisdom, Inc.; Dr. P. Ocampo College, Inc., LEE and RRJ Institute, Inc.; Notre Dame-RVM College of Cotabato, Inc.; Southern Kutawato Empire College, Inc.; St. Benedict College of Cotabato, Inc.; and VC2 Jobs Technical Training Review and Assessment Center. (Johaira Sahidala/BIO)
