In Cebu, SKILLS training is more than just acquiring skills

TARGETED LEARNING The technical vocational institute SKILLS offers a curriculum designed to meet the needs of industries, such as the construction, heavy equipment, health and wellness, hospitality, and maritime sectors. —SKILLS.COM.PH

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Lee Tampos is just 20 years old. Yet she is already skilled in formworks—the structure used to contain and mold cement as either pre-cast or cast-in-place used in construction of buildings.

Tampos is one of the more than 6,000 beneficiaries of School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership, and Service (SKILLS), a technical vocational institute operated by Primary Structures Educational Foundation Inc. (PSEFI), the corporate foundation of the Primary Group of Builders.

Lee, a native of Barili town in Cebu, had undergone free training at SKILLS with the scholarship support of one of the foundation’s partners.

“Before, I thought construction is about carpentry and masonry. Now, I’ve learned something new about construction which is formworks,” she said.

Based in Cebu, the Primary Group of Builders is a conglomerate that has become a leading force in construction and real estate sectors. It has diversified its operations to include shipping and logistics, health and lifestyle, and human capital development. It has committed to investing in human capital by providing skills development training through the technical school managed by its foundation.

PSEFI offers grants for training, assessment, and certification aimed at facilitating sustainable employment. The foundation specifically targets marginalized sectors, including out-of-school youth, unemployed individuals, and differently abled persons, helping them gain the skills necessary for stable jobs.

Tech-voc institute

At the heart of PSEFI’s initiatives is SKILLS, a technical vocational institute that offers a curriculum designed to meet the needs of various industries, including the construction, heavy equipment, health and wellness, hospitality, and maritime sectors.

By emphasizing technical know-how, leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurial skills, SKILLS equips students with the tools they need to thrive in the job market.

Since its founding in 2008, SKILLS’s training, assessment and employment services have reached 33,000 beneficiaries, said Jessie Cubijano, PSEFI SKILLS executive director. Of that number, more than 6,000 were beneficiaries of technical skills training and academic programs.

Cubijano said these were made possible by the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding of Primary Group of Builders and partnerships with the public and private sectors, which include the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Department of Education, and various companies and donor agencies.

For their Senior High Program, SKILLS trainees either pursue a college degree or get employed since they graduate with multiple Tesda national certificates in construction, health, and hospitality qualifications. For their technical-vocational program, most trainees get hired by firms either here or abroad.

Heavy equipment operator Susan Collantes said she managed to save money, and at the same time buy a house—a constant reminder of her hard work and training benefits she got from SKILLS.

“I have gained much respect. My family is now more comfortable. I am giving them a good life. So far, happy na,” said Myrna Pitaluna.

She started as a heavy equipment operator, and was later trained as a welder. She holds 11 Tesda NCs and is involved with SKILLS as a trainer and assessor of various trades, such as hydraulic excavator and carpentry, among others.

“Thank you (SKILLS) for giving me the opportunity and for making my impossible dream possible,” she said.

Lauded projects

The program’s impact on the community didn’t go unnoticed by the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), a network of the largest operating and grant-making corporate foundations and corporations in the Philippines. With its base of currently 93 members, LCF is at the forefront of promoting and enhancing CSR practices in the country.

The PSEFI SKILLS’s Senior High School Program was named Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Project in Education during LCF’s CSR Guild Awards last July, for producing multiskilled and employable graduates.

The CSR Guild Awards honors outstanding projects in arts and culture, disaster response, education, enterprise, environment, financial inclusion, and health implemented by the member foundations of LCF.

In 2022, the LCF also recognized PSEFI SKILLS’s Medical Auxiliary Specialized Services (MASS) as Outstanding CSR Project in Health. MASS was a six-month medical technical vocational course designed to augment the number of medical front liners without requiring large financial investment and long periods of study.

In 2023, the People Management Association of the Philippines recognized PSEFI SKILLS as its sole People of the Year Exemplar for its youth work readiness and skills training efforts. And in 2019, the Habitat for Humanity presented SKILLS with the Innovation Award for Partnership and Policies for its focus on industry certification that helps create multiskilled workers.