Aboitiz Foundation inks MOA with TESDA for training of partner coops

The Aboitiz Foundation, the social development arm of the Aboitiz Group, is expanding its enterprise development program to include skills training support for partner cooperatives, having recently signed an agreement with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for this initiative.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed between Sonny Carpio, Aboitiz Foundation Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Winefredo Salas, TESDA Regional Training Center VII Officer-in-Charge, at the Aboitiz Corporate Center in Banilad, Cebu City.

“With community engagement as an essential part of CSR, the Foundation constantly empowers beneficiaries in creating a better future for themselves. This initiative is just one of the many that we believe can help provide employment and job opportunities for our beneficiaries,” Carpio said.

Most members of the Aboitiz Foundation’s partner organizations rely on farming as main source of livelihood.  Oftentimes in between planting and harvest period, members have limited income to sustain their daily needs. To address this, the Aboitiz Foundation conducts livelihood skills trainings for courses such as cookery, dressmaking, beauty care, and hairdressing held at Subangdaku Technical Vocational School in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Now in its third year of implementation, the Aboitiz Foundation links these trainings to TESDA’s NC II certification. This aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of cooperative members in their preferred field of expertise and helps them obtain a certification in accordance to industry standards.

For 23 years now, the Aboitiz Foundation has been assisting small enterprising organizations across the country earn additional income by providing them with access to income-generating activities and livelihood opportunities.