• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental provincial government is turning scholarship opportunities into employment pathways through its partnership with Dualtech Training Center Foundation Inc., providing less privileged but deserving young Negrenses with technical skills and industry experience.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson visited recently the Dualtech Training Center in Calamba, Laguna, to meet Negrense scholars and assess the impact of the province’s scholarship program.
The partnership, which began in 2019 with 20 scholars, provides qualified out-of-school youth with a two-year Electromechanics Technology course combining six months of classroom instruction and 18 months of in-plant training with partner companies.
The program gives scholars training in industrial and basic skills, digital electronics, automation and other workplace competencies while connecting them to more than 200 partner companies, particularly in the manufacturing and service sectors.
During the visit, Lacson said scholarships remain a priority of his administration, noting that the program gives young Negrenses education, technical skills and opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families.
Jerson Pillones and Radin Celeste, members of the first batch who are now employed, shared their experiences and expressed gratitude for the provincial government’s support.
Lacson and his delegation also visited Ampleon Philippines, where they met four Negrense scholars undergoing on-the-job training.
Dualtech officials described the Negrense partnership as a potential model for other local government units seeking to establish scholarship and skills training programs linked directly to employment. | GPB
