March 04, 2022

Taguig City – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has partnered with Petron Corporation, the Philippines’ largest oil company and its only remaining refiner, to strengthen training programs under the automotive sector.

Today, March 4, TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña and Petron Corporation Vice President for Industrial Sales Virgilio Centeno signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to transform Building 9 inside the TESDA Complex in Taguig City into a state-of-the-art Car Care Center to offer higher-level qualifications under the automotive sector.

The center, which will be called “TESDA – Petron Car Care Center (TPCCC),” will be patterned after the Petron Car Care Center (CCC) located inside Petron service stations and also as standalone service shops.

The standard Petron Car Care Center offers a complete line of professional automotive care services from light to heavy repairs, as well as tire services such as wheel balancing and alignment.

Likewise, the TPCCC will consist of various tools and equipment provided by Petron and necessary for the conduct of trainings and assessment, which will be offered in coordination with the TESDA Regional Training Center-National Capital Region (RTC-NCR).

The training programs will initially focus on Preventive Maintenance Servicing (PMS), and later will include Automotive Servicing and allied diploma programs.

The agreement also entails TESDA to facilitate the conduct of skills training for higher level qualifications and diploma programs for Automotive Servicing to its identified clients and to Petron’s auto-mechanic technicians.

For its part, Petron shall also share its existing technical knowledge and programs, specifically on the application of lubes for vehicles, with TESDA Qualifications and Standards Office (QSO) to update the current training regulations for Automotive Servicing.

Secretary Lapeña noted that the partnership will ensure the delivery of demand-driven technical vocational education and training (TVET) delivery and provide job security to graduates through industry partners.

The TESDA Chief also thanked Petron for partnering with TESDA to help produce highly skilled Filipinos in the automotive sector.

“We are optimistic that this venture will create a better, more comprehensive learning experience for the Filipino workforce, preparing them for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the constantly evolving world of work,” Secretary Lapeña said.

Meanwhile, Centeno welcomed the opportunity to tie up with TESDA noting that they recognize the power of education and proper training in building up a society.

“We welcome this opportunity with TESDA to use one of our strengths as an industry leader to empower our less fortunate countrymen so they can lead better lives. This can also address our country’s need for more skilled personnel while increasing our productivity as a nation especially with the pandemic still ongoing,” Centeno said.

The facility is set to be operational by June this year, and will have the capacity to train about 250 individuals annually.

The automotive sector has always been one of the top sectors when it comes to producing TVET graduates.  In 2021, it ranked fourth among the top sectors with 82,836 graduates. Through this partnership, TESDA expects more highly-skilled automotive graduates in the coming years. ###