Business innovation hub turned over to Tesda

ABOITIZ Group, through Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI) and Pilmico Foods Corp. (PFC), handed over the business innovation center called “Wooden Spoon” to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Women’ sC enter( T WC) last month. Located at the Tesda Compound in Taguig City, it will serve as a venue for skills training and entrepreneurial activities of bakery and café trainees and graduates. “We will stay true to our mission of empowering budding entrepreneurs, and shaping chefs and baristas who share with us the same promise of advancing business and communities,” AFI COO Maribeth Marasigan said during the recent turnover ceremony. Marasigan said they are committed to help TWC Bakery and Pastry Production NC II program be accredited at the Unified TVET Program Registration and Accreditation System. “We will also continue to find more ways to promote education as an enabler of growth and enterprise development, thus, helping more Filipinos earn more income and have better lives,” she said. Named after the flagship brand of Pilmico, Wooden Spoon is the product of their visions aligned with both PFC and TWC aspiring better futures and greater opportunities for individuals, particularly women and the youth. Attended by top executives from the Aboitiz Group and TWC, the facility was turned over to the caring hands of the government agency for innovation and collaboration to flourish through their trainings. Designed to showcase an actual business production line, the facility is equipped with up-to-date baking tools, a lecture room, and Cafe Juana that lets students market and sell their own products. The renovation of the 500-squaremeter space is estimated to cost around P6 million, with 3.6 meters dedicated for the outfitting and design, and 2.2 meters for the state-of-the-art baking equipment. TWC and Pilmico will teach and guide the students. For trainings, a 9:1 ratio of women to men of students in the facility applies. This facility will also serve as Pilmico’s new center for trainings dedicated to their clients and other stakeholders. Through their partnership with Tesda and the establishment of Wooden Spoon, PFC and AFI advance business and communities by not only paving new ways of growth and learning for women and the youth, but by also educating them on how to sustain their livelihoods. “Guided by our vision to be our customers’ ‘Partner for Growth,’ we have made it a point to continuously look for opportunities where we can use our expertise to bring a positive and lasting impact to our various stakeholders,” PFC COO Tristan Aboitiz said. “Over time, we have learned that the best way to make that impact is to work alongside like-minded and values-based organizations that enable us to effectively mobilize our various programs,” he said.