21 January 2014
Plans are underway for the construction of the first green building of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that will put it in the country's green map.
The two-story structure, with an approximate floor area of 1,000 square meters, is a joint project between TESDA and the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCI), which will not only provide trainees an eco-friendly learning venue, but also teach and expose them to the best practices on environmental protection and preservation.
TESDA and FFCCCI signed a Memorandum of Agreement on January 21 to kick off the project that will be erected in the TESDA national headquarters in Taguig. FFCCCI will provide the funds for the building, and will spearhead the conceptualization of its design and project management.
"The TESDA Green Innovation Technology Center will be the new hub for various technical vocational education and training programs. We are grateful to our private partners for investing in this idea that is finally coming into fruition," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.
"FFCCCI's donation to TESDA means that there’s a growing trust and confidence from the private sector on technical vocational education and training or tech-voc. It also means that the high satisfaction of our employers to the performance of TESDA graduates has been sustained," he added.
The Center, Villanueva said, is envisioned to be "a campus of ideas and resources towards environmental innovation and stewardship."
It will showcase different green technology programs such as the solar-powered lightings, bio-mass technology, engineered bamboo (e-bamboo), and advanced agricultural crop production technologies such as hydroponics and organic vegetable production using drip irrigation, the use of rain water and waste water (water recycling) to support the agricultural crop production technologies.
"TESDA has been promulgating training regulations, which can be used to train the needed manpower for renewable energy while our training institutions nationwide have undertaken initiatives in green technology. Although many things are still to be harnessed in a more holistic manner, TESDA partners have a lot to offer to learn from," he said.
In the Philippines, green growth is gaining momentum as more private corporations and government offices look for headquarters that are eco-friendly.
A number of building owners are slowly retrofitting and upgrading their structures to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance.
"We spend a third or maybe one half of our time every day in the office, which makes it among the biggest users of water and electricity, straining even more the environment because of the need for energy supply," Villanueva said.
"The good news is technological innovations have offered us something that allows us to combine development, adaptation, recycling and reusing, and TESDA is embarking on this with its first green center," he said.
TESDA also recently partnered with My Shelter Foundation for the production of solar night lights that has a solar-powered LED, which uses locally available materials such as plastic bottles. The light uses solar energy to power the lamp that will illuminate the bottle at night.
TESDA has conducted trainers training on the assembly of the solar night lights. The training is now being replicated by the trainers in their respective regions.
TESDA has also adopted the training cum production approach to produce solar night lights that the agency distributed in the communities damaged by typhoon Yolanda.
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