12 May 2011
Put to good use, the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of two congressmen-brothers paved the way for the construction of a skills training center in Rosales town in Pangasinan and is now opening its doors to some 500 out-of-school youth for free training.
Inaugurated on May 10, the Rosales Skills Training Center in Carmay will be the new hub of the skills assessment and training by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the lead government agency in providing technical-vocational education to out of school youth and unemployed adults.
For its initial operation, the center will take in 500 students for May 2011to December 2011, and for 2012, it aims to train a total of 650 individuals. At least 100 training slots per year will be added.
"TESDA will endeavor to extend its reach to as many out-of-school youth, especially in the provinces that need the training most," TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said.
Strengthening technical and vocational training in the regions is also a way of boosting development, he said.
"The skills training will open the opportunity for our youth to get viable employment in the country or abroad, and improve the condition of their families. Our best bet is on them," Villanueva said.
With an initial P1.2 M worth of scholarships, the training center will offer courses such as automotive servicing, shielded metal arc welding, baking and pastry production, bartending, food and beverage services, housekeeping, commercial cooking, consumer electronics servicing, electrical installation and maintenance, computer hardware servicing, food processing and language proficiency course.
The center will also conduct community-based training programs, particularly in the 10 municipalities of the sixth district of Pangasinan.
Trainees will be assessed and chosen by the community training and employment coordinators in every municipality of the province's 6th six. Trainees from other parts of the region, specifically from northern Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, will also be accepted on a first come-first served basis.
The provincial and municipal government, national government agencies and non-government organizations will work with TESDA in the operation of the center.
The training center was an initiative of Abono party-list Representative Robert Raymund Estrella, and his brother, former Pangasinan Representative Conrado Estrella III.
The total cost of the project was P25 million – P20 million for the construction of the four buildings in Carmay and another P5 million for the filling and fencing of the 7,000-square meter compound – both sourced from the PDAF of the former lawmaker.
The center is envisioned to become a full-fledged TESDA Training Center that will have its own staff.
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