Provincial training centers will soon rise in two provinces of the Socsargen (South Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos) region, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) said.
TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña led personally led the groundbreaking ceremony of the two facilities this week.
Together with TESDA Deputy Director General for Operations Lina Sarmiento, TESDA Region 12 Director Rafael Abrogar, and Mayor Antonio Bendita, Lapeña led the groundbreaking ceremony of a TESDA Provincial Training Center in Surallah, South Cotabato last Wednesday.
Surallah local government unit donated 3,000-square meters of land for the construction of the South Cotabato Provincial Training Center which was just awarded last month.
Lapeña thanked the local officials of Surallah and Pigcawayan, Cotabato for immediately providing the lots where each PTC will be constructed.
"As you can see, we are still about to build the physical facility. However, the people who will be working here, the trainers and administrators, are ready to empower the people of this province," he said in his speech.
Lapeña added that TESDA has been aiming to build a PTC in every province to bring skills training closer to remote communities in the country.
In Pigcawayan, several scholars are currently being trained in Electrical Installation and Management, Cookery, Agri-crop Production, Contact Tracing, and Bookkeeping while training on Masonry and Carpentry have also started in Surallah.
Apart from the free training, the scholars also receive allowances.
The TESDA chief had earlier authorized the release of P600,000 from the agency budget to build a four-bay training facility in Pigcawayan while the PTC is still being built.
Pigcawayan-LGU donated 10,000-square meters of lot for the construction of the Cotabato Provincial Training Center and was just awarded to TESDA last February after Lapeña’s first visit to the town.
TESDA said that both PTCs are expected to be finished in a year or less.