By Jeanevive Duron-Abangan
TAGUM CITY, Mar. 13 (PIA): In their desire to continue their studies, out-of-school youths (OSYs) and graduating public high school students trooped to the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan this morning to look for technical-vocational scholarships being offered.
The youth were eyeing at the skills training programs offered by Korea-Philippines (Kor-Phil) Vocational Training Center, as their ticket to continue with their studies and eventually land a job. They then applied for a qualifying exam given to be able to enter Kor-Phil, one of the training institutes of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
A graduating 4th year student of La Filipina National High School, Sheila Mae Malitoc, 18 years of age would have wanted to take up Bachelor of Science in Education (BSEd) but she had thought of shifting her scholastic direction towards vocational training, having no means of going to college.
“Wala na ko’y papa. Naminyo ug utro ako mama. Naa ra siya sa balay. (I have no father. My mother got married again. She’s a plain housewife.)” she said in an interview in company with some other graduating high school students.
She didn’t want to just stay home doing nothing after graduating high school so she took the qualifying exam hoping to gain access to Kor-Phil. Sheila Mae wanted to pursue computer programming.
Allan Aveles, 22 years of age, had just been laid off from one of the malls in Tagum City. He wanted to gain higher education to hold on to a much secured jobs so he took the qualifying exam to enter KorPhil Vocational Training Center and be trained on automotive mechanic skills.
They were just two of about 300 more OSYs and graduating high school students who tried their luck with the qualifying exam administered by KorPhil for those who sought scholarship grants from local government units, and for non-scholars.
Mafel Negrido, TESDA technical skills development specialist said Kor-Phil offers 43 tech-voc programs on sectors of information and communication technology; construction; automotive; land transportation; tourism; electronics and metals and engineering; heat ventilation and conditioning; and agri-fishery.
Considered as a “center of excellence” on techvoc training, Kor-Phil training center has become an institute where LGUs poured funds for skills development of their constituents especially those who belong to families with no means to send their children to college.
In a tie-up with Kor-Phil, the City Vocational Technical Education Scholarship Program (CIVOTESPro) of Tagum City will be sending this year 100 scholars for techvoc training in Kor-Phil, aside from those who will qualify to take techvoc courses at Tagum Trade School.
CIVOTESPro board head secretariat and Community Training and Employment coordinator, Javier Balaba said the city government of Tagum has sent about 400 scholars to Kor-Phil since 2008 and more than 50 percent have landed jobs. (PIA-11/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)
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