QC youth urged to hop on new mobile training buses

09 May 2014

The two buses that would soon roll along the streets of Quezon City would give young people a productive activity this summer.

The buses are not the ordinary passenger vehicles, but mobile classrooms filled with computers, training equipment and learning materials to serve as learning centers.

On May 9, they were launched at the city's fourth district on the initiative of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

"We pitched this initiative as a way to bring technical vocational training to Quezon City's youth, especially to those who could not attend formal schooling," said TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva, who joined Speaker Belmonte in the launching activity.

"All they have to do is to hop on the mobile classroom and earn a lifetime experience that would prepare them for employment or teach them to start a business," Villanueva added.

Out-of-school youth, unemployed adults, incoming college students or even workers can try out enrolling in the programs to be offered by the Mobile Training Bus Plus, and after finishing the course undergo assessment to be certified graduates.

"We urge our youth not to blow away the chance of learning something new this summer. It will cultivate their skills as future employees or entrepreneurs," Villanueva said.

The mobile classrooms are among the novel programs to reach out especially to poor families who could not send their children to school. Speaker Belmonte partnered with TESDA to ensure that the training programs to be offered are compliant with the agency's requirements and are of high quality.

"We thank Speaker Belmonte for this initiative. With these new mobile training buses, we are pretty sure that more and more youth would benefit from the training programs and be able to improve their lives," Villanueva said.

In early 2012, TESDA launched the mobile training plus beefed up by donations of several units of buses from private corporations, which have partnered with the agency in promoting tech-voc education and training. A number of mobile buses have been launched in various parts of the country.

Initial program offerings 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 are offered in the facility are Building/House Repair and Maintenance Services, Beauty Care and Wellness Services, and Appliance Repair Services.