SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A company engaged in trading of motor vehicles here has sealed an agreement with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for the training of workers in the automotive industry.
Subictrak International Inc., a Subic-registered enterprise engaged in importation, remanufacture, rebuilding and re-export of motor vehicles and heavy equipment, will join TESDA for an in-plant Dual Training System to help increase standards in truck rebuilding.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the partnership exemplifies the culture of community involvement that the agency is cultivating among stakeholders in the Subic Freeport.
Under the agreement, TESDA will execute the training program designed by both parties in accordance with the Dual Training System Act of 1994, while Subictrak will provide the facility for the in-plant Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC2 class and Automotive Servicing NC2 class.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by Subictrak president Ferdinand Tangan and TESDA provincial training center administrator Eugene Peñaranda.
TESDA Zambales provincial director Benhur Baniqued lauded Subictrak for partnering with TESDA to help address job mismatch in the community.
Baniqued said TESDA Zambales encourages such partnerships to strengthen the interaction between the industry and the academe. “By doing so, we are able to somehow minimize the so-called job mismatch, if not eliminate it,” he added.
Subictrak’s chief executive, meanwhile, expressed support to the government’s objective of improving the quality of life of the Filipino workforce through the development of technical skills and proper work values.
He said the Subictrak-TESDA partnership will ensure that the employees they will hire in the future would be well-trained for the job.
“We expect that with this partnership we will improve a lot in the company, as we expect TESDA to teach us well. And we will gladly accept the trainees you will bring to us,” Tangan also said.
Subictrak is a 40% Chinese-60% Filipino owned corporation registered in the Subic Bay Freeport since July 2004. (Dante M. Salvana)