NGCP, UP partner for skills program

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is allotting P50 million to fund a five-year skills and training program in partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP) specially designed to benefit communities hosting its transmission lines and facilities.

NGCP and UP inked a memorandum of agreement ( MOA) yesterday for the creation of the NGCP- UP Skills Camp, which will run until 2020.

The grid operator will allot P50 million for the entire program which will benefit 29 communities, or roughly P20,000 per household, to achieve an end-goal of longterm increased employability and income of project beneficiaries.

Aside from the actual skills training, the partnership includes establishing relationships with indigent residents of identified communities and conducting needs assessment analysis for livelihood programs.

“We wanted to build not just a partnership but also build skills for individuals. We have commissioned UP’s experts… to train unemployed members of the community,” NGCP president Henry Sy Jr. said during the signing ceremony.

Initially, the program will target seven barangays in four locations near four UP campuses, which has 250 households equivalent to 1,000 individuals, NGCP corporate initiative and advocacies division head Lida Mae Lopez said in a press briefing.

“The results of which will be our take-off point on how to expand it moving forward since the skills project will run until 2020,” she said.

On the part of UP, it will provide the expertise of its 5,000 faculty members for the field training in host communities, UP president Alfredo Pascual said.