HELPING COMMUNITIES WITH SKILLS TRAININGS
A total of 20 women completed their 15-day plumbing skills training and received certificates from Tesda last Sept. 30.
Twenty women from Davao City were recently certified as skilled plumbers as leading cement maker Holcim Philippines, Inc. continues to work with partners on equipping people from its communities with new skills that expand their employment opportunities.
Holcim Davao held a graduation ceremony last September 30 for these women who completed a 15-day plumbing skills training program and received skilled worker certifications from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). Livelihood and inclusive business for communities are among the key pillars of Holcim Helps, the company’s corporate citizenship program.
In 2018, skills development initiatives received the biggest share of the company’s budget for Holcim Helps. Holcim Philippines also supports initiatives for shelter, infrastructure, education, health, and safety, which were estimated to have benefited up to 400,000 people as of last year.
Holcim Davao Plant CSR Manager May Escalicas said the all-female skills training supports gender diversity as it empowers women, who are mostly housewives looking to earn an income.
“We have also completed the first two skills training activities, such as the Forklift Operations and Plumbing National Certification II (NCII) and currently, implementing three more for Masonry, Carpentry, and Welding NCII in Tambobong, Baguio District that will help 75 indigenous people,” added Escalicas.
The plumbing skills training program is part of Holcim Davao’s partnership with the Region 11 offices of Tesda and Department of Social Welfare and Development and the local governments of neighboring communities.
The partners signed a Memorandum of Agreement last April 23 to support the high demand for skilled construction workers created by the government’s infrastructure upgrade drive “Build, Build, Build.”