SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Various skills trainings available from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have benefited 349 Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in this province.
Karyn Mae Duay, supervising TESDA specialist in Antique, said in an interview Monday that the IPs were trained by TESDA-accredited Golden Heroes School of Trade, Inc. and Araya Skills Development Institute Corp.
“The trainings for the different batches of IPs were from July to October this year,” she said.
Duay said the trainings included Installing Pre-cast Balusters and Handrail, Masonry, Plaster Concrete/Masonry Surface and Wellness Massage.
“The duration of the training depended on the skills that they took,” she said, adding that it ranged from 11 to 25 days.
“The IPs who were trained by the Araya Skills Development Institute Corporation have already been assessed,” Duay said. The assessment is necessary for them to be given a National Certificate (NC).
“The other IPs are still waiting for their assessment this December though,” she added.
The trainings for the IPs were conducted under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES). The trainees received a daily allowance of P100 and tool kits.
The training is a priority program of former TESDA chief Guiling Mamondiong who wanted to provide new skills to the cultural minorities.
In Antique, there are around 18,000 IPs who mainly belong to the Iraynon Bukidnon and Ati tribes.
Iraynon Bukidnon leader Abel Pedro, the Antique IP group chairman, said they are hoping to avail of more trainings from TESDA next year because these prove to be very helpful to them. (PNA)
