CULMINATING ACTIVITY. The graduates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority - PESFA (Batch 2) strike a pose with XU-CIT trainers (Mario Bajao, Evaristo Bongalos, and William Moring), CIT director Dr Gilda Brito, TESDA Misamis Oriental provincial director Leo V Velez (guest speaker), PO-TWSP focal person Rex Acain, CIT resource center coordinator Oliva Lim, and campus minister Terence Maceren during their culminating activity. Supplied photo.
By Rose Ann Gicole
A group of youth is building up their future through the support of Xavier University - Center for Integrated Technologies, in collaboration with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) through its Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) program. XU-CIT and TESDA joined forces in this development program which is aimed at inspiring, educating, and molding the youth to be confident, independent, and job-ready individuals.
XU-CIT hopes to embed competence, conscience, and positive character in its students through the “Building Great Minds” concept. It targets to enhance the students’ ability to understand and adopt different situations. Excellent training is the sinew for landing a suitable job; hence, XU-CIT wants the students to understand the importance of skills development to the community.
“Skills development is essential to the youth for sustainability. The transition from school to the workplace is difficult and it takes a lot of steps,” says XU-CIT program resource coordinator Oliva E Lim.
“Young people need to be exposed in a different environment where they can learn how to be ethical and patient in dealing people,” she adds.
Lim encourages the youth to be part of this learning process. Aside from early preparation for employment, they must equip themselves with practical skills that they could use throughout their lives.
The program is made possible because of the TESDA-Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA). The assistance is extended to students, who are at least 15 years old, high school graduate or a grade 10 completer. Among others, the benefits are free training cost, assessment fee, books and materials, and daily allowance.
Proving its success, the second batch of scholars in Shielded Metal Arc Welding Course graduated on October 26 at XU-CIT Jose Chavez Alvarez Technology Complex, Masterson Avenue, Upper Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City.
TESDA provincial director Leo V Velez has commended the effort of the scholars who have succeeded the training and passed the National Certification with 100% rate. During his talk, he inspired them with Bill Gates’s 10 Rules for Success — “to be fearless to overcome the fear of risk and work hard to become successful.”
Both XU-CIT and TESDA hope to create change and inspire the youth through engaging them in more constructive learning programs. ∎