IML provides the funding for the project which is part of the company's “Heart and Smile” corporate social responsibility campaign. Besides the financial support, the Japanese automaker also supplies technical requirements that are essential to the course, such as training materials, program modules, and practical training.
For IML Chairman Yoshinori Ida, providing the youth access to education is key to improving their lives. “It is important that we give young people the opportunities that will give them hope and the skills that they can translate into a better future,” said Ida. “Providing them with automotive training is one way of achieving this.”
Taking the top award in this year's list of graduates, Angelito Layco used to be a farmer before he joined the automotive training center. He comes from the island of Mindoro and is now scheduled to take his on-the-job training at Isuzu Makati.
The training center first opened its doors in 2008 with the aim of providing underprivileged but deserving scholars subsidized automotive training that would qualify graduates to TESDA’s NC4 certification - the highest automotive servicing qualification in the Philippines. At present, 84 Isuzu-TESDA scholars have already graduated from the center.
“I hope that the training center’s graduates turn out to be as fine as their seniors and become new stars that brighten the workplace with hope and aspirations,” Ida said.
At the Isuzu-TESDA Automotive Training Center, the future looks bright.
