SEVENTY residents of Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique completed their technical-vocational courses sponsored by Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC).
Semirara Training Center, Inc. (STCI), a TESDA-accredited, non-stock, non-profit center dedicated to providing local residents with high-quality vocational training and marketable trade skills, is fully funded by SMPC since 2007.
SMPC has championed trainings, scholarships and upgraded the local skills base to facilitate equitable access to employment opportunities and non-mining livelihood options, regardless of gender.
Residents of Semirara Island, as well as those from surrounding islands such as Caluya and Sibay, are eligible to enroll.
Of the 70 graduates who took the Basic Skills Training Program on Automotive Servicing NC II and Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC I, 55 were female and 15 were male.
“With these opportunities that have been created for you, may you impart your acquired skills to your fellow Semiraranhons,” SMPC President and COO Maria Cristina C. Gotianun advised the graduates during the meaningful graduation rites last February 2, 2022.
“On behalf of my fellow graduates, we thank SMPC, our families and instructors for their support and encouragement to achieve our dreams and make our lives better,” said top trainee Jhett Balilo from Barangay Semirara.
To date, SMPC has sponsored 1,301 STCI graduates of vocational courses that also include Machine Shop Practice, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Pipefitting, among others. Forty-four percent of graduates have been employed by SMPC and its contractors, while others have found gainful employment abroad.
This year, SMPC is celebrating its 25th anniversary since the acquisition and management control by parent company DMCI Holdings, Inc. in 1997. /PN
