By Jesus M. Ustares
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, June 29 (PNA) –- Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez personally welcomed 2,715 students Monday at the new technical-vocational school that the provincial government constructed in the southern municipality of Aborlan.
Incidentally, his personal reception of the technical-vocational students coincided with the celebration of his birthday.
In his speech, Alvarez said the goal of the technical-vocational school is to primarily help residents of the province, who have no means to enroll in universities in Palawan but are in dire need of employment opportunities to help their families out of poverty.
“This is a big help to many young people whose families cannot support them to study in universities to take up four year courses,” Alvarez said, adding if they study well, they can immediately look for jobs.
The first enrollees of the tech-voc academy that was constructed with the help of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Asian Business Cabletow Cooperative Academy (ABCCA) came from at least eight of Palawan’s 23 municipalities.
The Palawan governor was accompanied in welcoming them by Vice Governor Dennis Socrates, House Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Secretary Joel Villanueva of TESDA, Vice Governor Joe Gay Padiernos of Nueva Ecija, and other local government officials.
Among courses that the technical-vocational academy is offering are heavy equipment operation, carpentry, electrical installation and maintenance, masonry, plumbing, scaffold erection, shielded metal arc wielding, and automotive electrical assembly.
Caregiving short-term course is also offered, as well as food processing, cookery, bread and pastry production, attractions and theme parks, events management services, tourism promotion, and travel services.
ABCCA Administrator Anthony Del Rosario told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Monday that classes in the tech-voc academy will officially start on July 6. All 2,715 enrollees are scholars of the provincial government.
He said that Alvarez has assured the scholars that if they complete their courses, the provincial government will also help them find work not only in Palawan, but also in Malaysia, particularly in Kota Kinabalu that needs 2,000 workers.
The provincial government, Alvarez said, will place the same tech-voc academy too, in northern Palawan, in El Nido and Taytay towns. (PNA)