Sprawling on a hectare located about 109 kilometers north of Cebu City, the training facility houses the Manpower Acceleration and Resource Center in San Remigio. Every year since its inception 2007, about 200 enrollees from 27 barangays and nearby towns are accommodated to take short courses in Dressmaking, Automotive Servicing, Driving, Cookery, and Welding.
The town mayor, Hon. Mariano Martinez, said that the out-of-school youths are the first set of beneficiaries under a scholarship program.
In 2002, the municipality of San Remigio, a local government unit, sponsored a good score of students to study in CITE to take up tech-voc courses. Scholars were assisted in their cost of education and board and lodging.
Names of graduates like Eljon Nedia, Richard Ursal and Jessie Olila spring immediately to mind of Municipality Councilor Antonio Villamor when asked regarding their successful scholars.
“We’re proud of Eljon, Richard, and Jessie. They come from very poor families, but now they have made something out of their lives,” said Councilor Villamor, who is also the training center administrator.
“CITE inspired us to come up with our own training center,” Hon. Villamor revealed after taking the hint from over 30 CITE graduates who are now gainfully employed.
Information Technology alumnus Eljon Nedia, who is now working as computer technician in Bogo, said that the scholarship has provided him financial support to gain equal footing with at work.
The town’s poverty incidence is at 45%. And the only way to give a fighting chance to the families is to provide their children with education and training.
Having a training facility and qualified instructors at their own backyard, these young people don’t have to look further anymore to better themselves.
But setting up a training center is just the beginning. Bringing the right people together was another challenge. Efforts have been made to bring back highly-qualified professionals from the city and around town to teach in the training center.
A former oversea seafarer, Ronnie Reynes, went onboard to teach automotive servicing. He said, “It’s easy to teach skills to the trainees. The most difficult is to form their attitudes.”
“Like CITE, we do coaching and facilitate our students for overseas employment,” he added.
At the outset of setting up a bigger training complex in the future, the possibility of livelihood training in fish processing and other local grassroots products will put back the town into its best shape in no time.