URDANETA CITY—The local government here is giving a high priority to the skills training of out-of-school youth and adults to reduce the number of the city’s unemployed citizens.

Just a day after the Urdaneta Livelihood and Training Center (ULTC) was inaugurated on February 11, it immediately took in 490 trainees for auto-mechanics, including welding and carpentry; reflexology; food processing and preservation; and dressmaking.

“We are prioritizing the skills training of our unemployed citizens to address the problem of poverty because we know that a skilled individual has a bigger chance of finding jobs and earning a living,” Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. said.

The P3.5 million ULTC is designed to provide skills training to any unemployed citizens in all the barangays, the mayor said.

The city government appropriated P2 million to shoulder wages and allowances of trainors from the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Urdaneta City University.

Another P2 million has been allocated from parts of the proceeds of the city fiesta for the acquisition of equipment for the center.

Perez said the free skills training takes 60 to 90 days at two hours per day, from Monday to Friday.

After the first batch of trainees shall have graduated, more trainees will be accommodated and additional courses will be offered.

Perez said that this year alone, ULTC expects to train some 2,000 out-of-school youth and adults.

He observed that from the initial batch, most of the trainees preferred to be enrolled in auto-mechanics, specializing on two stroke engines, like tricycles, hand tractors and water pumps.

The future welders, he said, are hoping to apply for jobs in Australia which currently needs some 100,000 welders.

After graduation, the motorcycle mechanics are assured of a livelihood in repairing tricycles as there is an average of 40 tricycles per barangay.

Reflexology is another popular course.

Trainees who excel will be also be given further specialized training.

“We will get the cream of the crop and give them specialized training, like in post-graduate, so that they will be armed better for jobs abroad,” Perez said.—LM

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