From April 7–11, 2025, a special project team from CITE Technical Institute, led by directors Marlon Valencia and Dariel Lauron, is conducting a series of visits to partner companies and local government units across Negros Occidental. The goal is to farm out preparations for the graduation of the first batch of scholars and to coordinate plans for the next phase of the 1-year Production Technology course.
The visits are facilitated by the Agro-Industrial Technology and Enterprise Center (AITEC), through the leadership of Dr. Jose Rene Gayo. One of the key meetings was held with the staff of the Provincial Scholarships Program and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of Negros Occidental.
The Production Technology course is designed to provide underprivileged youth in the province with practical skills in agro-industrial technologies, production, and manufacturing processes, among others. The graduation ceremony for the first batch is scheduled for April 23, 2025, and recruitment is now underway for the second batch of scholars.
The program is supported by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, with Governor Eugenio “Bong” Lacson expressing his full support for this initiative.
A significant milestone for the program is the partnership with Hacienda Asia Plantations, Inc. (HAPI), a subsidiary of Dacon Corporation under the Consunji Family. HAPI is the first corporate sponsor of the Production Technology course in the Negros Island Region and is currently supporting the inaugural batch of scholars. This marks an important step in strengthening industry-academe collaboration for sustainable workforce development.
Also part of the team are Production Technology Head Benjie Wong and consultant Engr. Ed Watin.