Surigao TVET institution inks MOA with auto industry partners

To improve the quality of education and widen the opportunities for its learners in automotive courses and strengthen the implementation of Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) program, the Surigao del Norte College of Agriculture and Technology (SNCAT), a Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institute based in Mainit town, province of Surigao del Norte, is strengthening their partnership with their industry partners through a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on October 4, 2022 at TESDA Caraga Regional Office, Butuan City.

SNCAT College Administrator Abegail B. Eupeña said that while they are predominantly an agriculture school, they are also expanding the courses they are offering which they are striving to achieve through the partnership they are strengthening with Toyota Motors Philippines and Suzuki Auto Butuan for their Automotive NC I and NC II and Small Engine Repair and Maintenance NC II courses. “[Our partners] have responded to our call and we are very much happy. Our program would be the Supervised Industry Learning, [which is] another mode of learning that is enterprise-based wherein our graduates will be deployed in their respective areas for further training in an industry setting,” the college administrator said.

In the MOA, students enrolled in the said courses will render a 160hour Supervised Industry Learning (SIL) to the said companies which equates

to roughly a month, during which they can put into practice all the theories and concepts they have learned on automotive technology.

“We hope that this partnership will go a long way and this is all for the benefit of our constituents at SNCAT,” she added. Leah J. Manalo, branch manager of Toyota Motors Butuan, conveyed the company’s strong support for the programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“It is our pleasure to be part of this program under TESDA. As one of the corporate responsibilities of Toyota, not just in Butuan, but the whole Toyota Motor Philippines, we are in full support of the government’s programs, especially TESDA’s,” said Manalo.

Toyota Motors Butuan has been a partner of TESDA, having trained their learners from different TVET institutions from other provinces. This is the first time that the company has forged a partnership with SNCAT.

Manalo believes that through this partnership, not only are they helping learners grow and become professionals in the automotive industry but also help improve the quality of its products and services even more through the competent TESDA scholars that might eventually join their workforce.

With its first time partnering with TESDA, Syville Boton of Suzuki Auto Butuan said that their company is looking forward to the partnership.

According to Boton, this is the first time that the Suzuki Auto Butuan branch will open its doors for on-thejob training since the said branch was just recently established. This will also benefit the company since they can easily find references for automotive technicians they can hire should they expand their dealership in Butuan City.

The Suzuki Auto service manager also said that the partnership is also an opportunity for the company to mold professional automotive technicians and teach them the core values of the company that have helped them succeed in the industry.

Meanwhile, TESDA Caraga Regional Director Tarhata S. Mapandi also expressed her elation for the new partnership between its TVET institution and auto industry.

Mapandi said that this milestone helps strengthen the EBT, TESDA’s program that utilizes Supervised Industry Learning (SIL), a learning approach designed to complement the training gained in the institution with actual application of critical competencies in the workplace to enhance the knowledge and skills of a learner.

“This is another accomplishment of the SNCAT and its administrator in making sure that what is also the contribution of our major companies and industries would be provided here. This is only the beginning,” said the regional director.

She also said that they are also exploring other means of expanding the partnership so that other programs of TESDA can also be covered.

Director Mapandi also called on other key players in the industry to partner with TESDA to help more Caraganon TVET learners and completers. (DMNR/ PIA-Caraga)