Aboitiz Power Corp., along with its partner, Japanese JERA Co., Inc. (JERA), has launched a technical talent hub in Mariveles, Batangas, to expand the workforce in the energy sector.

On Monday, Sept. 8, AboitizPower and JERA inaugurated the Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE), located in LIMA Estate, Batangas, which will serve as a facility to train technical talents from both companies through a series of learning experiences.

GTCOE was designed to provide operations and management (O&M) education, as well as hands-on training at AboitizPower-affiliated facilities, namely GNPower Mariveles Energy Center and the GNPower Dinginin.

Once fully operational, the facility will onboard and foster partnerships with universities, industry groups, the government, as well as other international organizations.

Don Paulino, Chief Engineering & Projects Officer of AboitizPower, explained that the facility would enable students to hone their skills, preparing them for the industrial field.

“Our objective here [in GTCOE] is to jointly bridge what’s happening in the university to actually translate some of those skills and improve [them] to make it translatable in an industrial way,” he told reporters.

Paulino explained that the students would undergo hands-on training, including addressing power plant issues and other related tasks.

“What’s behind this [the training facility] is really the technology, the skill set, and the experience that both JERA and AboitizPower actually provide in developing our young and emerging technical talents and in shaping the current talents that we have.”

According to the AboitizPower executive, the first 18 technical learners are expected to arrive on September 15, while a larger batch of around 32 students is anticipated to follow.

“The intention is to host a number of training programs across the year, and what we will do is as we mature this facility, we will expand the offer across the industry.”

Celso Caballero III, President and Chief Operating Officer of AboitizPower Transition Business Group, emphasized that this project builds on the need to enhance talent in the energy sector.

“A competent workforce is needed, especially in a rapidly evolving sector such as power generation,” he said.

Tetsuya Watabe, Corporate Vice President and Chief O&M Engineering Officer of JERA, added, “The GTCOE represents a natural extension of this collaboration, focused on exchanging knowledge, developing energy talent, and creating lasting value for the broader energy ecosystem.”