June 22, 2016
Through technical vocational education, hope abounds in the hearts of internally displaced persons (IDP) like Misal Saipuddin Mistul of Zamboanga City, who has found his calling through new skills.
A resident of Tigtabun Island, the 29-year-old Misal was one of the thousands who were forced to flee their homes because of the fighting in 2013.
While in a transitory site, he heard about a program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and took a course in food processing. After finishing the course, passing the assessment and getting certified, Misal is now working and is helping provide for his family’s needs.
“I only finished elementary. I had very little hopes of getting anywhere,” he said.
“The training gave me hope. Now, I have work and I get paid. I can buy the things that my family needs,” he added.
To help the IDPs in temporary shelters get by, TESDA-Region IX and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) earlier offered skills training, which will tap the potentials of the people and make this key to their employment in companies or enable them to start their own livelihood, TESDA Director General Irene Isaac said.
“Away from their homes and their farms, which is usually their source of livelihood, the lives of IDPs are difficult,” Isaac said.
“While the government, non-government organization and international groups help provide for their needs, arming them with the skills that will help them get back on their feet will have a long-term impact,” she added.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) defines internal displacement as the movement of individuals seeking sanctuary within the confines of their own home countries.
In May 2016, TESDA-Region IX and DSWD entered into an agreement with Century Pacific Food Inc. (CPFI) aimed at providing skills training and potential employment in the canning industry for the IDPs who are currently living in the transitory sites provided for the victims of the 2013 Zamboanga siege.
The DSWD identified and selected 200 participants for the training program. TESDA-IX provided the trainers, starter kits and meals, while CPFI will prioritize the hiring of at least 100 IDPs trained by TESDA and endorsed by DSWD.
The IDPs underwent training in two batches. Misal was included in the first batch of trainees.
The qualifications included Bread and Pastry Production NC II, Food and Processing NC II, and Cookery NC II.
The training facilities of the Regional Training Center in Barangay San Roque, Zamboanga City serve as the venue of the said program. The project is funded by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
“I am grateful for this opportunity. Sometimes, it’s just what we need to recover from a miserable situation,” Misal said.
“With the training and the job I have right now, I can help send my siblings to school and I can dream again,” he said.
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