MANILA, Philippines—Bulacan residents will now be able to avail themselves of free livelihood training from the government thanks to a San Miguel Corp.-funded skills development program that will be administered by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (Tesda).
The scheme was launched on Wednesday (Sept. 30) for an initial batch of 60 participants — a number expected to grow into the thousands — ahead of the construction of the conglomerate’s P734-billion Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.
San Miguel president Ramon Ang said the training program that is open to all Bulacan residents is part of the firm’s job-creation initiative to help Filipinos adapt to changing demands and benefit from opportunities that will emerge with the construction of the airport project in Bulacan.
“This airport project will be a game-changer, not only in terms of its effect on the economy of Bulacan and the entire Philippines,” he said. “More importantly, this will change the lives of Bulacan residents even beyond the pandemic. These courses are for free and open to all residents of Bulacan who are willing to learn,” Ang said.
Under the program, San Miguel will pay for the tuition, assessment, trainor’s honoraria, meals, insurance; and transportation allowance of the initial participants, who are all former residents of the village of Taliptip.
The pilot batch of 60 people will undergo 20 days of training in their chosen courses and three days of entrepreneurship training.
Those who will opt for self-employment and set up their own businesses will be given tool kits like welding machines, sewing machines and other equipment.
Courses include shielded metal arc welding, electrical installation and maintenance, and heavy equipment operations. Meanwhile, courses such as dressmaking and cookery are offered to residents who want to be self-employed.
“We are inviting everyone to learn any of the Tesda courses being offered so they can be prepared for present and future opportunities,” the San Miguel chief said. “After our initial batch of 60 individuals, we will immediately expand the program to include all residents of Bulacan subject to government’s health protocols that include wearing of protective equipment and physical distancing.”
Ang thanked Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando, Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses and Tesda officials, led by Secretary General Isidro Lapeña, who attended the launch to show their support at the Tesda Regional Training Center Central Luzon held on Wednesday in Tabang, Guiguinto, Bulacan.
The MIA project, which is capable of handling up to 100 million passengers per year, is seen to create about 30 million tourism-related jobs, and generate more than a million direct jobs for host province Bulacan and nearby provinces.