One hundred forty four trainees are set to fulfill their dreams after recently graduating from the KEITECH Educational Foundation, Inc. (KEITECH) Leyte Campus.
Coming from different walks of life, some trainees have worked in various fields as househelpers, construction laborers, farm laborers, sales staff (tindera/tindero) before enrolling in KEITECH. Some of them were grade 10 finishers and senior high school graduates.
Their own challenges in life became their motivation to work extra hard in their day-to-day training. They all adopted a “never give up” attitude.
KEITECH is a technical-vocational school established in 2009 by geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Its mission is to help the poorest of the poor by addressing high poverty incidence and unemployment rate in the municipality of Kananga and Ormoc City in Leyte and enabling qualified youth to acquire the top skills that are locally and globally in-demand. KEITECH has played a role that shaped not only the future of unemployed youth but also the true meaning of public-private partnership.
Perseverance leads you to success
This year’s Oscar M. Lopez Awardee Reynante C. Ylanan proved that if you persevere you will reach the success you’ve worked hard for.
The 22-year old is a son of a housewife and farm laborer and a native of Masarayao, Kananga, Leyte. He is fifth among 6 children and his family is financially challenged. His desire to help his family pushed him to persevere and get a scholarship slot.
Ylanan proved that he was worthy of the scholarship. He showed leadership skills and performed very well in his skills training. He took up Industrial Fitters, making him qualified for Scaffolding NC II, Plumbing NC II, Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC II (SMAW), and Pipe Fitting NC II.
Clarity of purpose, perseverance, braveness
Commencement speaker, Ms. Ma. Elizabeth Nasol, Senior Vice President of the Human Resource Management Group of the Energy Development Corporation shared three things that her father passed on to her when she graduated from college.
One must have clarity of purpose and perseverance.
“Kung wala kang passion to do what you’re doing, you will never hit your dream. You need to have the desire to succeed, kasi kung wala kang desire to succeed, it will not be easy,” said Nasol.
She also expressed her gratitude to KEITECH for continuing its advocacy in helping locals improve their lives and their families, and contributing skilled laborers in the workforce.
Consistent quality of training
Each student receives a full scholarship and are given accommodations and meals for the duration of their training. Moreover, KEITECH’s 10-month training program is tailor-fit to the most in-demand jobs in construction, metals and engineering, and tourism and health and social services.
While it followed the prescribed curriculum of TESDA, KEITECH went one notch higher by incorporating life skills and values formation program so the trainees will acquire not just the technical skills but also the professionalism and right attitude towards work. This consists of a discipline-oriented training environment, with values development focusing on respect, honesty, teamwork, leadership, cleanliness, and others.
Now on its 10th year, KEITECH has proven its capability to produce world class laborers by maintaining a 100% passing rate in all TESDA certification exams.
About 90% of the graduates have been absorbed for employment by companies where they did their on the job training (OJT). Other industry partners have shown interest in hiring KEITECH graduates, especially those in the construction industry due to the high demand for skilled construction laborers.
Out of the 145 graduates, 12 were scholars sponsored by Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR). The company was so satisfied with the training that their scholars got from KEITECH that they have committed to sponsor 30 more trainees this next school year.
Sixty-four trainees will be given a certification on Construction Handcraftsman, 25 on Industrial Fitters, 30 on Metals & Engineering, and 26 on Hotel & Restaurant Services Tourism. This batch will have 31 females and 114 male graduates.
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is a pioneer in generating 100% clean, renewable, and reliable power as an electricity supplier in the Philippines for over 40 years. With power plants all over Visayas and Mindanao, the company is one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in Asia and is expanding its reach in the international market, allowing it to offer customers affordable energy rates. EDC also strives to provide the best customer service it can to all its clients by having helpful salespeople and easy to understand contracts. Because of all of this, it is poised to become the premier supplier of electricity for the Philippines’ Green Energy Option Program. EDC takes its mission as a renewable energy provider seriously and goes beyond sustainability by investing in programs that enhance the environment and empower its partner communities, thereby fostering regenerative development. The company has also been working toward being carbon-neutral by improving its energy efficiency, as well as implementing various greening projects to ensure that its mission to provide future generations with a better life remains intact.
