27 June 2013
A bus filled with computers and other equipment and learning materials recently rolled through Lucena City to bring closer to the people technical vocational education and training (TVET).
The Mobile Training Bus Plus is an offering of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) together with private TVET institutions and the local government unit to allow the youth of Lucena access to quality training.
"Many poor families want to send their children to school but due to more pressing needs, education is given less priority," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.
Villanueva said he hopes the residents of Lucena will take advantage of the presence of the Mobile Training Bus Plus to enroll in courses that would help them get jobs or start a business.
“The growth of industries coupled with the improvements in the agricultural economy of Lucena City requires a steady supply of skilled workers,” he said.
“There is also a good opportunity for the residents, once skilled, to engage in entrepreneurial activities, set up their own business and help in generating employment," Villanueva added.
The mobile training program was launched in early 2012 after TESDA received several units of buses as donations from Genesis Transportation Inc., one of the agency's partners in promoting TVET.
Since then, it has visited a number of areas in Metro Manila and several provinces bringing along course offerings to individuals who want to try TVET and get an opportunity for employment later on.
Initial program offerings of the Mobile Training Bus Plus include Automotive Servicing NC I, Motorcycle and Small Engine Servicing NC II, Electrical installation and Maintenance, Mechatronics Servicing NC II, and Computer Hardware Servicing NC II. Training duration of these programs ranges from 80 to 356 training hours or about two months.
In some areas, the facility also offers Community Disaster Management modules designed to equip participants with skills in performing basic life support, coordinating emergency resources, managing the emergency scene, transporting emergency and non-emergency patients, and delivering pre-hospital patient care in times of calamities.
Other programs that can be offered in the facility are Building/House Repair and Maintenance Services, Beauty Care and Wellness Services, and Appliance Repair Services.
The turnover of the mobile bus took place at the City Hall Annex in Barangay Isabang and was attended by employees of the local TESDA office and top executives of Lucena City led by Mayor Roderick Alcala, Quezon Vice Governor Vicente Alcala and Representative Irvin Alcala.
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