8990 Holdings Inc. setting up a training school

8990 Holdings Inc. CEO Januario Jesus "JJ" Atencio photo courtesy of CEO Magasine

Property developer  8990 Holdings Inc.  plans to set up a skills training center for construction workers.

Januario Jesus Atencio, 8990 president, said the “innovation center”  will be launched next year.

“There is a building boom in the provinces, not just in Metro Manila. You see this in Davao, in Iloilo, in Cebu. The competition for skilled labor is tight,” said Atencio.

“It’s going to be a center for training, for education, for new ideas,” Atencio said.

Atencio said 8990 is considering three sites for the center which he plans to be accredited by the  Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) in  training four skills --- masonry, carpentry, welding and crane operation.

“I can capture  high school graduates who have (opted) not to pursue traditional bachelor’s (degrees) right away. I can train them for one or two years,” Atencio said.

“This way, we get to train new people our way,” he added.

Atencio said  because of the high demand for skilled workers, the construction industry tends to hire just anyone with neither training nor enough experience, affecting  the quality of their work.

The company’s initiative is  similar to a program of the  Philippine Contractors Association (PCA) which seeks to improve the construction sector’s labor pool.

Manolito Madrasto, PCA executive director, earlier said the PCA is working for the institutionalization of skills training for laborers, piloting skills training centers run by PCA members that will train workers on both the basic and advanced knowledge of the construction industry.

Madrasto earlier said the group is working with the government to allow level three-national competency (NC3) certified individuals to be project contractors as a new step for highly-skilled individuals that have mastered the NC3 level.


source: Malaya / Business News