City offers free special skills training

Learn special skills for free and land a good job.

Fidel Magno, head of the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP), said that his office offers skills training to Cebuanos seeking employment here and abroad.

“Blue-collar jobs are more in demand now than white-collar jobs,” Magno said.

DMDP, the employment arm of the Cebu City hall, offers trainings that include automotive mechanics, plumbing, electronics, computer programming, desktop publishing, cosmetology, dressmaking, hotel and restaurant services and soap and candle making among others.

Housingkeeping, automotive and refrigeration are the most in-demand skills, he said.

These course trainings that the DMDP coordinates with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) range from three months to six months.
“Wala ni siyay bayad but it’s not absolutely free. The trainees have to spend for the materials they need for the training,” he said.

DMDP he said accepts enrollees daily at their office in the second floor of the Ramos Market.

Aside from offering free trainings, DMDP also helps prepare their trainees for their job application and interview.

“It’s not enough that we teach them skills. We also teach them how to apply,” he said.

Magno said that his office holds local and overseas job fairs every May 1 to offer Cebuanos with employment opportunities.

From Feb. 13 to May 1, DMDP organized 19 job fairs, both local and overseas and worked with over 100 companies.

Of their 13,718 registered participants, 1,404 were hired on the spot. Another 6,319 were waiting for their final interview while 481 were asked to submit more documents. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac