Surigao TVET institution inks MOA with auto industry partners
BUTUAN CITY -- To improve the quality of education and widen the opportunities for its learners in automotive courses and strengthen the implementation of Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) program, the Surigao del Norte College of Agriculture and Technology (SNCAT), a Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institute based in Mainit town, province of Surigao del Norte, is strengthening their partnership with their industry partners through a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on October 4, 2022 at TESDA Caraga Regional Office, Butuan City.
SNCAT
College Administrator Abegail B. EupeΓ±a said that while they are predominantly
an agriculture school, they are also expanding the courses they are offering
which they are striving to achieve through the partnership they are
strengthening with Toyota Motors Philippines and Suzuki Auto Butuan for their
Automotive NC I and NC II and Small Engine Repair and Maintenance NC II
courses.
"[Our
partners] have responded to our call and we are very much happy. Our program
would be the Supervised Industry Learning, [which is] another mode of learning
that is enterprise-based wherein our graduates will be deployed in their
respective areas for further training in an industry setting," the college
administrator said.
In
the MOA, students enrolled in the said courses will render a 160-hour
Supervised Industry Learning (SIL) to the said companies which equates to
roughly a month, during which they can put into practice all the theories and
concepts they have learned on automotive technology.
"We
hope that this partnership will go a long way and this is all for the benefit
of our constituents at SNCAT," she added.
Leah
J. Manalo, branch manager of Toyota Motors Butuan, conveyed the company’s
strong support for the programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA).
"It
is our pleasure to be part of this program under TESDA. As one of the corporate
responsibilities of Toyota, not just in Butuan, but the whole Toyota Motor
Philippines, we are in full support of the government's programs, especially
TESDA's," said Manalo.
Toyota
Motors Butuan has been a partner of TESDA, having trained their learners from
different TVET institutions from other provinces. This is the first time that
the company has forged a partnership with SNCAT.
Manalo
believes that through this partnership, not only are they helping learners grow
and become professionals in the automotive industry but also help improve the
quality of its products and services even more through the competent TESDA
scholars that might eventually join their workforce.
With
its first time partnering with TESDA, Syville Boton of Suzuki Auto Butuan said
that their company is looking forward to the partnership.
According
to Boton, this is the first time that the Suzuki Auto Butuan branch will open
its doors for on-the-job training since the said branch was just recently
established. This will also benefit the company since they can easily find
references for automotive technicians they can hire should they expand their
dealership in Butuan City.
The
Suzuki Auto service manager also said that the partnership is also an
opportunity for the company to mold professional automotive technicians and
teach them the core values of the company that have helped them succeed in the
industry.
Meanwhile,
TESDA Caraga Regional Director Tarhata S. Mapandi also expressed her elation
for the new partnership between its TVET institution and auto industry.
Mapandi
said that this milestone helps strengthen the EBT, TESDA's program that
utilizes Supervised Industry Learning (SIL), a learning approach designed to
complement the training gained in the institution with actual application of
critical competencies in the workplace to enhance the knowledge and skills of a
learner.
"This
is another accomplishment of the SNCAT and its administrator in making sure
that what is also the contribution of our major companies and industries would
be provided here. This is only the beginning," said the regional director.
She
also said that they are also exploring other means of expanding the partnership
so that other programs of TESDA can also be covered.
Director Mapandi also called on other key players in the industry to partner with TESDA to help more Caraganon TVET learners and completers. (DMNR/PIA-Caraga)
