06 November 2013
A fresh batch of women entrepreneurs have completed training on management and organizational skills, and are now ready to shake the business world.
The 1,038 graduates, who all came from Bulacan province, were recently recognized in a ceremony after finishing their course under the Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR), which gives training to women retailers to help them succeed as entrepreneurs.
The program is a collaboration of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, which aims to empower 100,000 women sari-sari store owners and operators all over the country by 2020 by giving them skills training in managing their business.
"Women entrepreneurs are increasingly taking their place in the economy, both as employers and entrepreneurs. We would like to fortify this role with the aid of skills training," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.
The assistance to graduates goes beyond the training period as it also includes post-training assistance through access to microfinance and other technical support.
An earlier workshop conducted for TESDA directors and focal persons of the program identified the need to step up initiatives to get microfinance institutions into the program.
"Our assessment showed that the lack of solid microfinance institution partners in the target areas has been one of the challenges of the program implementation last year," Villanueva said.
"We have tapped new partners through the microfinance institutions (MFIs) to strengthen the post-training component of the program," he added.
The National Program Management Team (NPMT) of the STAR program earlier identified four MFIs that will cater to post-training assistance of the graduates in select areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The recent STAR graduates came from 12 towns and one city of Bulacan, which were earlier selected to receive the free training.
They were selected from the towns of Angat, Bustos, Bocaue, Dona Remedios Trinidad, Guiguinto, Hagonoy, Marilao, Norzagaray, Pulilan, Sta. Maria, San Ildefonso, San Rafael and the city of San Jose Del Monte.
Last November 6, the women entrepreneurs were feted in a graduation ceremony attended by Villanueva, executives of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, TESDA directors and Bulacan local government officials.
The training was sealed through a memorandum of agreement signed by TESDA, Coke, non-government organizations and the local government of Bulacan last September.
The STAR program, which started in 2012, has produced earlier batches of graduates from other areas in the country.
"Entrepreneurship plays a significant role in job creation. Entrepreneurs provide new jobs each year, and women represent an even bigger opportunity since a number of them, if not the majority, are the ones into retailing or sari-sari store business," Villanueva said.
For the program, TESDA and Coke tapped special trainers equipped in honing the entrepreneurial skills of the trainees. The assistance also included accessing capital, peer mentoring support and merchandising through convergence of partners from the public and private sectors.
In addition to the mass graduation, the TESDA Bulacan Provincial Office also held a Job Fair in close coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Provincial Government of Bulacan thru Provincial Youth Sports and Culture Office (PYSEACO).
The fair is a regular activity of TESDA, which intends to facilitate employment to tech-voc graduates.
This year’s Job Fair was participated in by more than 1,000 graduates and at least twenty (20) companies invited from various industrial areas in Bulacan, Pampanga, Metro Manila and other nearby municipalities representing sectors in food, garments, services, electronics, and direct selling, among others.
A Trade Fair was likewise conducted in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry where the best products and most sought after goods of entrepreneurs in Bulacan were displayed and sold.
Through the trade fair, attendees enjoyed a one-stop shopping of food items, decorative goods, fashion jewelries and accessories.
Share this page
