Soldiers finished a training course in construction to become trainers and builders in their areas of responsibilities.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) XI trained 19 soldiers from the 52nd Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army on construction skills.The soldiers were awarded with National Certificates on March 27, after completing technical-vocational training on construction courses such as Carpentry NC II, Masonry NC II, and Tile Setting NC II at the Regional Training Center-Korea Philippines Vocational Training Center (RTC-KPVTC) in Buhisan, Tibungco.
The soldiers-trainers will soon be tapped to conduct on-site skills training in Talaingod, Davao del Norte and other parts of the region.
Additionally, the now skilled soldiers will also build structures in geographically isolated areas and conflict-affected communities.
“The concept of the training is to train the soldiers in various construction qualifications and eventually train them to become TESDA trainers so that they may be able to train civilians in remote areas within their jurisdiction,” Ernesto Nadera, head of the Training Department of RTC-KPVTC, said in a statement.
Nadera further explained that these skilled soldiers will help TESDA fulfill its mandate in training people in far-flung communities especially the Indigenous People (IPs) and Former Rebels (FRs).
“The mandate to us TESDA workers is to go beyond our training centers, go beyond the borders of our cities and go beyond the limitations. We are mandated to conduct trainings not only in schools but in communities and reach people in the far-flung areas and the trained soldiers can help us fulfill this mandate,” Nadera said.
TESDA XI Assistant Regional Director Remegias Timonio said the training is very timely as the agency intensifies its implementation of programs in line with the Executive Order No. 70 or the Whole of Nation Approach to address the insurgency problem.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Frederick Ancheta, commanding officer of the 534th Engineer Battalion of the 52nd Brigrade mentioned that the trained soldiers will lead in civil military operations in far-flung communities
“The battalion will deploy a team of certified skilled engineer soldier to compose a construction team. The construction team will then be immersed to the far-flung communities showcasing the unconventional capability of the Philippine Army in community development as part of our civil military operations,” he said.
“These TESDA trained engineer soldiers can now be your extension to help accomplish your mission of providing technical education and developing the skills requirement of local communities to help alleviate or reduce poverty of incidence within Davao region,” he added.
