Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has praised the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Region 9 for its partnership with the Zamboanga Ecozone Freeport Authority in Zamboanga City and its locators in the implementation of an industry-based training program that ensures every worker in the zone to be TESDA-certified.

"This is how training should really be. It should be industry-based and should address the needs of industries for workers trained according to internationally-benchmarked training regulations and standards. This will also ensure a 100 percent employability since it is the companies themselves who commit to hire the trained workers," said Baldoz after TESDA Regional Director Lorenzo Macapili reported to her last week that the TESDA had partnered with the Zamboanga Ecozone Freeport Authority and the local government of Zamboanga City for the training of workers for the fishing and fish-canning sectors.

Baldoz visited Zamboanga to unveil the marker declaring the Zamboanga Ecozone Freeport Authority as a labor laws-compliant ecozone, the 12th zone in the country to be declared such.

Director Macapili reported that one of the industry-based training the TESDA has conducted is on net mending, which has been conducted for selected unemployed residents of Labuan, Cawit, and Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay.

"In this training, we partnered with Mega Fishing Corporation and the Philippine Naval Forces Western Mindanao. Mega Fishing Corporation, which provided the facility for the training, has committed to hire the graduates, who underwent a 15-day net mending training. The Philippine Naval Forces Western Mindanao, on the other hand, selected and identified the trainees," said Macapili.

"Net mending is industry-based and is not available in schools and technical and vocational institutions (TVIs)," he added.

Macapili further said that other training qualifications the TESDA is pursuing in its industry-based training program are Housekeeping NC II, Automotive Servicing NC II, Driving NC II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Forklift Operation.

As this developed, DOLE Region 9 Director Sisinio Cano reported to Secretary Baldoz that two canning companies in the city have hired 64 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in support of Zamboanga City's "build back better" program.

The canning factories are Pacific Century Canning Corporation and Mega Fishing Corporation.

"The 64 IDPs compose the second batch of workers hired by canning factories since we at the DOLE have signed an agreement during the livelihood summit in November 2014 with the United Nations Development Program, United States Agency for International Development's ENGAGE, and the City Government of Zamboanga," Director Cano said.

Cano said the first batch was composed of 81 IDPs who were mostly housed at the Tulungatung Transitory Site and their employment was facilitated by the City Social Welfare and Development Office-Public Employment Service Office, DOLE, and the International Labor Organization.

Sheila Covarrubias/IrisGay