ILOILO CITY — Seventy-one Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs) from Iloilo City completed their skills and livelihood training at the Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC) Molo campus and will receive their certificates in a ceremony this April 10.
Maria Mathilde Trenas-Octavio, TIIC Administrator, said that 209 PWUDs were enrolled in the program after completing their required rehabilitation program under the city government’s Crossroads program handled by the City Health Office (CHO).
However, only 71 made the cut as others have slid back, others have found jobs or dropped due to absenteeism.
Of the graduates, 17 completed the training on massage therapist; 12 for carpentry; 27 for defensive driving and 15 for basic computer.
Their training started March 2017 but it took them almost a year to complete because they only have one session per week, which is held every Friday.
They are now waiting to undergo an assessment that will be conducted by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA).
Octavio said they are ready to accommodate the second batch but they intend to hold the training thrice a week or if possible daily for the eagerness of the trainees will not be lost.
With this, she hoped that the number of dropouts will be minimized.
She added that she would recommend that their trainees be subjected to psychological and medical examination to ensure that they have stable mindset because their instructors are not used to handle their kind of behavior.
Meantime, in addition to PWUDs, 270 others will also receive their certificates from the TIIC.
They include 51 from TIIC’s three regular programs composed of six from construction technology, 25, electrical technology and 20, automotive technology.
These are ladderized programs and graduates are holders of TESDA’s NC II competencies after completion of the two-year program.
She added that TIIC accepts senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), out-of-school-youth (OSY), housewives and those who are interested to avail of livelihood and skills training. (PNA)
