30 July 2014
In various trades dominated by highly-skilled male workers, a number of females are successfully breaking the barriers.
Last year alone, 53 percent of the total 1,765,757 technical vocational education and training or tech-voc graduates are women, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Joel Villanueva said.
"Reports from TESDA show that women are now actively participating in tech-voc training and are seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families," Villanueva said.
Five of the Top 20 finalists in this year's Tatak TESDA Video Making Contest were female who have shown that through tech-voc, they could excel in their chosen trade and make a decent and stable living.
From Cebu province, 24-year-old Ingrid Ponce is now making raves in a company in Japan as a welder. Aside from putting together metal plates, she has learned a new skill under the company, and can now operate a forklift.
"Welding is not only a skill, it's an art," Ponce said, that's why she took Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC II and Gas Metal Arc Welding NC II despite objections from her parents. With her current status, Ponce said she made the right decision in pursuing her dream job.
Jonnalyn Navarossa of Tacloban City, took a course more popular among men, and excelled in it.
After obtaining a National Certificate for Automotive Mechanic, she was hired in a firm run by Japanese managers.
Navarossa said her training enabled her to land in a job that helped her sustain her family. But she's not stopping from dreaming of becoming a full-fledged engineer someday.
Cristina Reyes, a former overseas Filipino worker of Pangasinan, on the other hand,finished a course on Massage Therapy and became a National Certificate II holder. She joined a group of massage therapists and did home service. With a growing number of clients, she sought the help of her school, Greenmont Systems International, in putting up her own spa, which she called the Habitat Spa.
To help future trainees, Reyes said she also serves as livelihood trainer to out of school youth in their community.
Like Reyes, Mary Gold Albano of Iligan City, is also running her own business.
Her dream of learning creative design and graphic techniques led her to the Iligan Computer Institute Inc. Where she finished Visual Graphic Design NC III. She now operates her own small shop, which gives her an everyday challenge of turning brilliant ideas into good design, such as logos and artworks.
"Everyday is a learning experience," she said, adding that because she loved what she was doing, it was as if she was not working at all.
Andylyn Barona of South Cotabato graduated valedictorian of her batch, but could not enter college, so she took the tech-voc route.
Soon after, she became a National Certificate II holder in PC Operations. With this, employment came quickly as she was hired by a fishing company.
She now heads the Management Information Systems department of the company. Adding a feather on her cap is a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, which she obtained while working.
"If not for my tech-voc training, I would not have found a job and finish a degree," Barona said.
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