22 March 2014
Three model shelters ready for occupancy stand in a village in Cebu province destroyed by typhoon Yolanda as proof of the work of the country's freshly-minted TESDA specialistas.
On March 21, a total of 100 scholars graduated from construction- related courses provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and partner agencies to help communities rebuild and recover from the calamity.
The project, dubbed Skills Training and Emergency Employment towards Recovery in Northern Cebu (STEER-Cebu), is in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), provincial government of Cebu and local government units.
"This is taking the whole 'teaching a man to fish' proverb to heart. The STEER project taught the members of the community the skills to build shelters for the people who lost their homes during the typhoon," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA Director General, said.
Villanueva attended the graduation ceremony held in Barangay Poblacion, Daanbantayan in northern Cebu.
The project adopted the training cum production concept, in which the trainees have an actual output after the training period. On their graduation, they turned over the three model shelters ready for occupancy by identified beneficiaries.
The graduates finished courses on Plumbing, Carpentry, Masonry and Electrical Installation. Each course had 25 graduates. The training period was from February 12 to March 12 this year.
TESDA provided the trainors and technical experts and training supplies and materials, while DOLE assisted by using its Cash for Work fund for the trainees. The Cebu provincial government supplied additional tools and material, and the local government units took care of the venue and honorarium of the trainors.
The UNDP provided additional tools for training and personal protective equipment such as shoes, uniform, hard hat, and gloves. The agency also gave them tool kits to help the graduates immediately land in jobs either as wage employed or self-employed.
Villanueva said the project put forward a more sustainable approach by developing the skills and competencies of the affected population so they could take part in building their own homes and rehabilitating damaged infrastructures in their community.
"Armed with the basics of construction skills, they could also be hired, and such will also provide some economic benefit to their families," Villanueva said.
TESDA and its partner government agencies, private sector and civic organizations have also instituted skills training programs in a number of typhoon-damaged provinces such as Eastern Samar and Leyte.
Northern Cebu was among the areas hardest hit by typhoon Yolanda in November last year with 15 municipalities affected, roughly translating to 1.6 million people.
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