Lingayen – About 290 provincial government-supported scholars have finished their technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses under the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that was allocated by the provincial government.

Board Member and Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial President Amado “Pogi”  Espino, III exhorted the scholars during the mass graduation ceremony held on September 1 at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center “to strive more to usher in a good future for their families.”

Citing their completion of the TWSP as “a life-changing opportunity,” the young Espino, who represented Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr., conveyed the incumbent provincial administration’s all-out support to tech-voc education.

The province of Pangasinan recently was adjudged as regional winner and national finalist in the 2015 Kabalikat award (LGU category – provincial level) given by the TESDA to recognize the province’s programs, projects and advocacies that are implemented in support to tech-voc education.

BM Espino was assisted by TESDA Provincial Director Manuel Wong and Pangasinan Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO) Manager Alex Ferrer on the distribution of training certificates to the scholars from 11 tech-voc schools in the province that implemented said program.

The tech-voc schools include: Acres Professional Institute and Review Center, Inc., (Dagupan City), Marianne College of Science and Technology (Bayambang), Golden West Colleges Inc. (Alaminos City), Manila Montessori College International (Dagupan City), Development Academy for Technical Excellence, Inc. (Urdaneta City), Extendicare Training Center (Dagupan City), CMV Technical Institute (Alaminos City), Dagupan Colleges Foundation, Inc. (Dagupan City), STI Alaminos Inc., (Alaminos City), OBC Learning and Assessment Center (Alaminos City) and Instituto Centro Asia Inc. (Dagupan City).

The provincial scholars took up courses on food and beverages, housekeeping, computer hardware servicing, consumer electronics servicing, cookery and front office servicing.

The tech-voc financial assistance program, one of the scholarship programs of the provincial government, is managed by the Pangasinan PESO. Grantees of this program are those enrolled in technical and vocational or other short-term training programs like those under the TESDA. The program provides a maximum of Php7, 000 per course.