20 January 2014
A typhoon wiped out their homes in 2009, but these survivors bounced back and armed with new-found skills, are now helping design beautiful and green communities.
The 24 individuals, who took the 10-day training for Landscape Installation and Maintenance NC II in September last year, have been absorbed by the Makati Development Corporation (MDC) for its Nuvali project.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) through the Quezon National Agricultural School (QNAS) partnered with Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) in providing the skills training for the youth.
Nuvali, one of the properties of Ayala Land Inc., is a thriving sustainable community in Laguna, south of Metro Manila, developed as residential and business district.
All of the trainees were survivors of typhoon "Ondoy," which hit the country nearly five years ago. After the calamity, they moved to Southville 7 in Calauan, Laguna, a 107-hectare area that is home to more than 6,000 families relocated from Metro Manila, which included the typhoon survivors.
Southville 7 is one of AFI's partner communities in the area. As part of the foundation's corporate social responsibility program, it linked with TESDA and QNAS to provide skills training for the displaced youth to help them have access to livelihood opportunities, financial services, and gainful employment.
The trainees, composed of 19 males and five females, were hired in October last year, less than a month after completing the training, undergoing competency assessment and obtaining a National Certificate for their course.
"The partnership of TESDA, through QNAS, with Ayala Foundation Inc. shows that there is always an open opportunity for linkages with private companies in promoting and implementing technical vocational education and training," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general said.
Villanueva noted that making available relevant and specific skills training, which match industry requirements, can result to a perfect job-skills match and immediate employment of the graduates.
For the landscaping course, QNAS prepared a competency-based training that covers competencies for installation/construction and maintenance of landscape.
The training was conducted in the town of Calauan, Laguna. In order for the trainees to fully acquire the required competencies, MDC provided the materials, supplies, tools and equipment, as well as the on-site practicum area where the trainees can demonstrate and perform their learned skills. MDC provided Nuvali as the practical work area.
Villanueva said the competency-based training approach facilitates the learning process and ensures that the trainees acquire the skills needed for the job.
"In this approach, learning happens at the classroom and at the workplace. The hands-on experience gives the trainees an edge because they can readily apply the skills they have learned in the classrooms. Getting a job will therefore be easier for the graduates," he said.
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