TESDA Lady Welders ackowledged by PGMA during SONA

Graduates of Welding Skills Training under the PGMA Scholarship for Work Program now employed at shipbuilding projects were acknowledged by the President during her State of the Nation Address at the Philippine Congress. The lady welders are proof of her administration's aggressive training programs led by TESDA.

7.74 million benefited from training and vocational courses in the last seven years, doubling the number in the last 14 years.

In 2007 alone 1.7 million workers were bestowed with knowledge, skills and ability to excel in a globally competitive work environment.

The fruit of PGMA-TESDA and Mayor Bong Gordon's Skills Training Program resulted in more than five thousand workers employed by Hanjin shipbuilding and other companies in the freeport and overseas.

THE OLONGAPO STORY

Olongapo City had been the host to the US Naval Facilities in Subic Bay since 1901 after the Americans defeated the Spanish Armada in the Battle of Subic Bay.

Olongapo has struggled to develop under harsh circumstances that strengthened its people. It was the last piece of Philippine territory surrendered by the US to the country in 1950s. It rose from a “sin city” in the 1960s and 1970s to become a model city in the 1980s and 1990s.

It survived extreme political reversals, the withdrawal of the bases and the greatest volcanic eruption of the century.

In 1992, the facilities were turned over to the Philippine Government which converted the area into a Freeport Zone by virtue of RA 7227.

Devoid of funding, its people volunteered to protect and preserve the facility, the resulting culture of volunteerism built a hardy and resilient people that remains Olongapo’s most enduring resource.

The skilled manpower requirement created by the freeport was immediately addressed by establishing the Olongapo City Technical Education Center (OCTEC) in coordination with TESDA. OCTEC was converted into a community college in 1999 and is now known as Gordon College.

VISION: Olongapo City is a natural free port, a traditional window of the Philippines to the world, which will be Fast, Friendly, Flexible, Forward-looking, and distinctly Filipino in character.

MISSION: It will be the First full-pledged free port City in the Philippines. It will act as an ENTREPOT, a warehouse, a center for trade, a transhipment point and a marketplace for the adjoining provinces, the Central Luzon areas and the Southeast Asia Region – an easy place to do trade and business

GOALS: To grow service industries, communications, information technology, banking and finance, professional trades, tourism and shipbuilding.

To build a strong support system and strengten manufacturing capabilities and educational, technical, research and development facilities.

The entry of shipbuilding giant HANJIN and return of floating drydocks in the Ship Repair Facilities prompted Olongapo City to establish the Olongapo City Skills Training Center.

Resolution Number 69 series of 2006 was passed Approving the Skills Training Program as a Priority Project of Olongapo City. (Annex A)

This was followed by series of Ordinances, Resolutions, Correspondence, Memorandum of Agreements (MOA) and Executive Orders (EO) to ensure success of the project:

Ordinance 23 s 2006 – Appropriating PHP 500,000.00 in the Skills Training Program

Ordinance 52 s 2006 – Appropriating additional PHP 500,000.00 in the Skills Training Program (Annex C)

Ordinance 32 s 2007 – Appropriating PHP 300,000.00 in the Skills Training Program

BAGUMBAYAN – SIGUE Foundation fund assistance PHP 50,000.00

UNFPA Fund Assistance PHP 100,000.00

PGMA Scholarship for Work SMAW NC II – 75 scholars = PHP 750,000.00

PGMA Scholarship for Work - Call Center Agent Finishing Course
– 75 scholars = PHP 375,000.00 fwd to TVETs

FEDEX phase-out, skills upgrading project – 15 beneficiaries = PHP 150,000.00

Funding from Mayor’s Office for honorarium of trainors = PHP1.44M for 3 yrs

Letter dtd 5 Sep 2007 – Inclusion of Skills Training Budget in 2008 Executive Budget


TOTAL AMOUNT USED FOR TRAINING: PHP 4,165,000.00

* Above amount is from 2006 to present only, funds used since the creation of Olongapo City Technical Education Center (OCTEC) in 1992 which runs into millions of pesos is not reflected in the amount indicated above.

As per latest report of the projects’ accomplishment: 6,651 completed the Shipbuilding Orientation, 4,701 completed SMAW, 285 in SMAW NCII, 525 in FCAW, 4,092 in Career Workshop and Value Formation and 429 in Computer Courses. (Annex H)

From our graduates, 4,092 are now working at Hanjin Shipbuilding Project, 250 at Hanjin Facility Development, 390 at other Freeport Locators and 150 deployed overseas.

A Human Resource Tracking System is being utilized to come up with a real-time and updated status of the City’s Skills Training Program. This is another basis for the beneficiaries’ to avail of the City’s continuous provision of scholarship. The software makes effective the Job Placement Assistance Program of the City (Annex I) on top of the regular Public Employment Service Office of the City.

The Gordon College Board of Trustees in Resolution 29 series of 2007 Approves the Offering of Associate in Shipbuilding Technology Course aimed at giving the Skills Training Graduates a clear career path and qualify for supervisory and managerial positions in the shipyard. (Annex J)

CITY DONATIONS TO THE PROJECT

Aside from appropriating generous amount to the project, additional donations in king was given such as but not limited to welding and personal protective equipments (Annex K), Skills training van (Annex L), automatic cutting machine (Annex M), skills training venues (Annexes N, O, P, Q, R, S, T)

More than 6,651 benefited from the project with maximum number of continuous supprt.

The three on-going Barangay Computer Learning Centers and the Computer Van Aralan recieves continuous Technical Assistance in terms of computer repairs, consultancy service, placement assistance and most specially moral support from the city. The city also extends support to other municipalities and provinces such as San Antonio, Botolan, San Narciso in Zambales, including those provinces from Mindanao where Hanjin will build its next shipyard.

Additional support from the Sanguniang Panlungsod are thru resolutions and ordinances ensuring the success of the training program such as:

Resolution 70 s 2006 – Authorizing Mayor Gordon to enter into MOA with TESDA for the Skills Training Program. (Annex U)

MOA with TESDA – 19 April 2006 – Implementation of Manpower Development Program (Annex V)

Resolution 88 s 2006 – Ratifying MOA with TESDA regarding Skills Training Program

GC BOT Resolution 17 s 2006 – Implementing the Special Training Program on Welding at Gordon College (Annex X)

GC BOT Resolution 22 s 2006 – Approving the Skills Training Center and Creating a Special Account for the Welding Program (Annex Y)

Certificate of TVET Program Registration, – WTR 0603072355 Dec 7, 2006 – SMAW NC II (Annex Z)

As part of its Social Responsibility, the training center conducts regular seminars on Positive Work Values and Career Workshops. It also gives services to the community such as Repairs to Metal Bridges, Mobile Checkpoints, fences, public market canopies and other Shop Maintenance as requested. The students join in the regular River and Shoreline Clean-up to emphasize the importance of being concerned with the environment.

EO 103 s 2006 – Designating JLGM Hospital as Health & Medical Services Provider of the Skills Training Program. This ensures that Health, Medical requirements and Safety of the trainees is being taken cared of. In collaboration with UNFPA, a module was created specifically for the health and gender sensitivity of workers. (Annex N)

Continous Linkages with partner organizations ensure sustainability of the city’s Skills Training Programs:

Resolution 218 s 2006 – Requesting SBMA to donate materials for Skills Training Program

Resolution 174 s 2006 – Authorizing Mayor Gordon to enter into MOA with TESDA and HANJIN (HHIC-Phils) for the Skills Training Program (Annex AC)

Resolution 124 s 2006 – Authorizing Mayor Gordon to enter into MOA with WBB for use of facilities for Skills Training Program

MOA with WBB – 5 July 2006 – Use of Multi-purpose building for Skills Training Program

Resolution 49 s 2008 – Authorizing Mayor Gordon to enter into MOA with TESDA for the Mobile Skills Training Project (Annex AD, AE)

MOA with TESDA – 14 April 2008 – Mobile Skills Training Van (Welding / Computer Courses) (Annex AF)

Resolution 55 s 2008 – Ratifying MOA with TESDA regarding the Mobile Skills Training Project (Annex AG)

MOA with AI-HU Foundation regarding the Computer Van Aralan Project dtd 26 March 2008 (Annex AH)

Resolution 47 s 2008 – Ratifying MOA with AI-HU Foundation regarding the Computer Van Aralan Project (Annex AI)

List of Government Employees who benefitted from the Summer Courses on MS Office Productivity Tools, Photoshop, Basic Networking, PHP and MySQL Web Development

Means of Promotion and Advocacy:

Regular schedule of Barangay Skills Training and Employment Orientation is being conducted. This in addition to press releases, internet promotions, radio and television interviews. Flyers and barkers are being utilized in conjunction with the Mayor’s regular jogging inspections and barangay consultations.

The websites maintained by the city including www.jobs.subicbay.ph, http://olongapo-subic.com, http://olongapo-subic-welders.blogspot.com commands widest coverage thus job seekers from other provinces are enrolling at the Olongapo Skills Training Center (Annex AL).

Each of the Trainors in this training facility have more than twenty years of experience in shipyards both local and overseas, the combined talent of this training team plus the support of the City’s Leadership and its contituents makes it the organization to beat. (Annex AM)

Hanjin Visit

Mayor James Gordon Jr visited the Hanjin Skills Development Center to have first-hand experience on the training program being given by Hanjin to its shipbuilders.

Councilor Edwin Piano, Head of the city's Hanjin Task Force visited the shipyard to check the welfare of its contituents and get update on the Hanjin Shipbuilding Project

Olongapo City Skills Training Director Edwin J. Piano poses with trainors Celia Obias-Alipio, Garry Magrata and Bayani Legaspi at the backdrop of Mayor Gordon's free welding training at Rizal triangle

Incident Report

Hanjin Subic Shipyard, Drydock No. 5, January 18, 2008 11am : Explosion was heard at the Propeller Alley (This is a compartment at the AFT, STERN, or TAIL portion of the ship)

Fatalities:

Jeremias Adamos – Barretto, Olongapo ( Family from Subic)
Mario Laxamana – Morong, Bataan

Injured:

Jonathan Martinez – Banicain, Olongapo
Gilbert Ruba – Kalalake, Olongapo (from Tarlac)
Donald Elijan – Castillejos, Zambales (All 3 confined at St. Jude Hospital)
1 Korean National and another Filipino w/ minor hand injury.
Many Filipino co-workers were traumatized by the incident.

According to the survivors:

They are working at the rudder and propeller section of the ship: fitting-cutting-welding-grinding inside a closed compartment.

Adamos and Laxamana are working (grinding) overhead, 10 to 12 feet above them.

Martinez and Ruba noticed that there are oil spills on the deck which came from the cleaning operation on the propeller.

The survivors believe that sparks from cutting and grinding operation which fell on the oil started the fire.

Other witness accounts however claimed that the sparks actually fell on the acetylene gas rubber hose.

The punctures on the hose created by hot molten metals caused the flammable gas to leak.

This gas leak, built-up in the propeller-alley compartment during their 10am breaktime.

When they returned for work at 11am, the compartment is already saturated by a highly combustible gas. An accident waiting to happen.

A spark from either welding, grinding or cutting operation ignited the combustible gas which caused the explosion and the fire.

Comments/Recommendations:

• There was no Safety Officer and/or “Fire Watch” in the vicinity while the work was going on.
• The Safety Officer should have conducted “Gas-Free Inspection” prior to start of work.
• Shipyard workers should be alert all the time, keeping their area clean and clear of hazards. The fatalities were not able to escape the fire because their bodies were entangled in the electrical wires (temporary lighting & extension cords) which were not properly organized inside the compartment.


FINAL ANALYSIS:

Since the survivors insisted that the flame actually started from the oily surface of the deck and that they have not smelled traces of combustible gas in the compartment (which would have alerted them when they returned to work after breaktime), this means that oxygen was the gas that leaked.

An oxygen-rich environment would make an ordinary oil highly-flammable.

Possible Causes of this situation are:

1. Defective Oxygen Valve.

2. Somebody deliberately opened the oxygen valve in order to introduce fresh air into the closed compartment or to flush-out smoke from welding operation (A big mistake by untrained personnel).

3. The oxygen rubber hose was accidentally punctured either by hot molten metal from welding sparks or had been mechanically damaged when hit by a sharp/heavy metal/plate.

RE-TRAINING IN SHIPYARD SAFETY IS OBVIOUSLY IN ORDER.

The writer, Olongapo Skills Training Director, Edwin Piano, have more than 20 years of shipyard experience both locally and overseas. He conducts Safety Training for welders endorsed by Mayor James "Bong" Gordon, Jr to Hanjin shipbuilding project.

Bright job prospects for welders

IF YOU'RE A WELDER OUT OF WORK; HEAD TO SUBIC

Ever wondered where have all the welders gone?

Thousands of them are now employed by Hanjin at its shipyard in Redondon Peninsula, Zambales, that’s where.

According to Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye, the country’s “best welders are now employed by Hanjin at its Zambales shipbuilding complex, the world’s fourth largest.

The Korean shipbuilding giant plans to build five ships a month, 60 ships a year, “and that requires a lot of welders,” Bunye said.

That’s only for starters, he added, as the labor market for welders is bound to expand significantly when Hanjin opens its shipbuilding facility in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental.

Last Thursday (Jan. 10), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo witnessed in Cagayan de Oro City the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) between Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co., Ltd. (HHICC) and Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) on the construction of a US$ 2-billion shipbuilding facility in Cagayan de Oro City.

The President gleefully noted that the new investment clearly reflected the favorable outlook for the country in the international community.

She pointed out that from 2003 to 2006, foreign investments in the Philippines grew five-fold and continued to increase at a double-digit rate last year.

“This surge of investments has been anchored by billion-dollar plus investments by several major international companies, not only Hanjin but also Texas Instruments in Clark, Marubeni and AES in the power sexctor and Mittal Global’s upcoming integrated steel mill in Iligan City, among others,” the President said.

Hanjin’s second shipbuilding complex will be established inside the 3,000-hectare Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental.

The President said that when fully operational, the facility would employ up to 40,000 workers. Undoubtedly, many of them will be welders. (PNA)

why it is very difficult to find welders?

THE VIEW FROM THE PALACE
By Ignacio Bunye

Have you ever wondered why it is very difficult to find welders?

The simple reason is that thousands of our best welders are now employed by Hanjin shipyards in Redondo Peninsula in Zambales. The fourth largest shipbuilding facility in the world expects to build 60 ships a year, 5 ships a month, and that requires a lot of welders. And we are just talking of Zambales. Wait till Hanjin opens its shipbuilding facility in Cagayan de Oro City. This week, President Arroyo witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Hanjin Heavy Industries and the Phividec Industrial Authority for the construction of a $2 Billion shipbuilding complex.

TESDA will have its hands full trying to train the manpower needed for such huge complex let alone supply the needs of the construction industry.

Plastic Welding

GrainPro manufacturing in the Philippines

GrainPro's Board of Directors has approved a plan to establish a modern plastic welding plant in the Philippines. For this purpose a local subsidiary has been established "GrainPro Philippines, Inc. " which will operate from the Subic Bay area, former US naval base and now Free Trade Zone, North of Manila.

By the middle of this year the plant will be operational and the GrainPro office will move from Manila to Subic Bay as well. State of the art welding equipment will ensure a high quality product and a larger output.

From accountant to welder

TALES OF THE CITY
Dramatic career shift: From accountant to welder


By Kenneth del Rosario - Inquirer
Alpha Dasmariñas wanted to work abroad because her job as an accountant bored her.

Wanting a more challenging and unique job, she went back to school to study.

A strong advocate of women empowerment, Dasmariñas, 32, took up the challenge, taking a recourse often perceived as a man’s job.

Not caring if she would be tagged as “one of the boys”, she enrolled at the Labor-Link Technical Institute (Labor-Link), the first welding school in Quezon City put up to produce globally competitive welders.

“We had women, out-of-school youths and senior citizens in mind when we first thought of this project,” said Bernadette Herrera-Dy, a Quezon City councilor and founder of the Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Foundation, the organization that helped put up Labor-Link last February to provide employment opportunities for the city’s residents.

BH Foundation, created in 2002, coordinates efforts to tap potential workforce and develop people’s skills. Dy said they were aware of the strong demand for male and female welders alike, and realized they could provide a steady supply only if there was a venue where people could get formal training in the trade.

Dasmariñas, who graduated last June, will start working as a welder for a real estate company in Makati City in a couple of weeks. “After getting experience here, I would definitely want to go abroad, too,” she said.

According to Dy, Dasmariñas is only one of at least 50,000 welders in demand in and out of the country today.

Since the organization put up the welding school, the foundation has produced at least 280 graduates, 40 of whom are already working abroad. The organization either supports or helps students get sponsors for their studies or facilitates scholarship grants from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Apart from being the pioneer welding school in the city, Labor-Link, located in Balintawak, Quezon City, also boasts of a big number of women students enrolled in the course alongside their male counterparts.

“The response has been overwhelming,” the councilor told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net. “High school graduates who never had the chance to continue their education can now do so with this program.”

She added that even people who have not been able to go to school or those with no experience in welding can enroll as long as they show a genuine interest in learning the trade. Even people who already know how to weld but had no formal training can also enroll to get technical training, she said.

Dy noted that when they opened the welding school in February, there were only three female students out of 40 who enrolled. Today, she said, there are about 50 female students out of the 180 who signed up for the course.

“This is for the women, so I’m happy that we are seeing more female enrollees in school,” she said. “But this does not mean we’re discouraging men to enroll. They’re very welcome to join.”

Female welders are actually more preferred than males abroad, said Carlo Dimayuga III, president of Labor-Link. “This is because women have ‘lighter’ hands and more flexible wrists that tend to produce more polished work,” he added.

He noted that women welders are also generally more patient than men so foreign companies prefer to hire them, especially for jobs that require extensive attention to intricate details.

Gene Madridano, one of the four instructors in the welding school, noticed that his female students are definitely at par, if not better, than his male students. “They’re not just good at the application part, they’re also good in the lecture portion. Men sometimes are not as focused in this area,” he said.

Dimayuga said that this early, companies from Korea, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan, among others, have expressed interest in hiring their female graduates.

The basic course Shield Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) lasts for a total of 38 days or 304 hours, Carlo said. Classes are held from Mondays to Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students then have the option to take the next more advanced course called Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW).

The students who enroll in the program, Dimayuga pointed out, have to pay “virtually nothing” because everything is shouldered by TESDA. The course, for walk-ins or those who do not have scholarships, on the other hand, costs from P10,000 to P15,000.

Welders who graduate from Labor-Link are ready for hiring in any shipping, pipeline, real estate and construction company anywhere in the world, Madridano said.

According to Dasmariñas, “I am proud to be a welder. This is now my life. Years from now, I will come back here after gaining valuable experience abroad. Who knows, I may even start a welding business or put up my own welding school.”

QUEZON CITY Councilor Bernadette Herrera-Dy (center) and Carlo Dimayuga III (third from left), Labor-Link president, check out a student’s welding skills. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Skills Development Center

Hanjin Heavy Opens Training Centre for Shipyard Workers at Subic

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. (HHIC, KSE:003480) opened over the weekend the most modern training centre in the Philippines built at a cost of P40 million (US$755,287).

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza said the training centre is located at the heart of the municipality of Subic, Zambales.

"This training centre is just one among the many good things that are happening in the Subic Freeport for the past six months and Hanjin will be the biggest shipyard in the country with a committed investment of more than US$1 billion," he said.

Arreza assured the officials of HHIC-Philippines that the company could expect full support from SBMA for the project.

Myung Goo Kwon, HHIC-Philippines Managing Director, expressed his gratitude for the support and attention extended by Subic municipal mayor Jeffrey Khonghun for hosting the construction of the HHIC-Philippines Shipyard Facility Project in the municipality's coastal area in the Redondo Peninsula, and allowing the use of the multi-purpose building to be converted into a temporary training centre.

Kwon stressed that one factor for the success of the shipbuilding industry in the international market is the pool of qualified and competent manpower.

"Equipped with the most modern training facilities and qualified Korean instructors, the training centre will be the cornerstone in developing and honing the skills of the Filipino trainees. It will transform regular, ordinary workers into qualified, skilled workers eligible to work in our shipyard," he said.

The training facility, which was constructed through collaborated efforts of HHIC-Philippines, SBMA, the province of Zambales and the municipality of Subic, has three classrooms, 70 welding booths, one pipefitting room, four painting rooms and a large working area that can accommodate a maximum of 200 trainees and instructors.

It is also equipped with 80 CO2 welding machines, two TIG welding machines, two gouging machines, 40 automatic cutting machines, 80 manual cutting machines, one hydraulic shearing machine, a compressor, fork lift, 13 airless pumps, 60 air grinders and several other contemporary machinery Around 100 trainees, mostly from Zambales, Olongapo City and Bataan will be taught the necessary skills to qualify them for shipbuilding jobs for three months.

"After the training, the trainees will become the best assets of Hanjin and they will build the most beautiful ships in the world," said Shim.

The shipyard is part of the 10-point economic agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which will not only provide job opportunities for people living around the shipyard, but will also realize the advancement of the local shipbuilding industry.

"The project is expected to generate more than 30,000 direct and indirect job opportunities and would put the Philippines in the map of shipbuilding industry," he said. (PNA)

PGMA at Hanjin

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is visibly happy as she interacts with the welders who are among those being trained inside the Hanjin Shipyard in Subic Zambales. The Korean Firm Hanjin has made the shipyard one of the biggest in the world after it added 1.6 billion US Dollars to its initial capital of 500 million US dollars. Once hired the workers in shipyard can expect high salaries comparable to their foreign counterparts.

TESDA Zambales Accomplishments

Iba, Zambales -- The Provincial Office of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) recently reported the completion of trainings on two levels such as the community based–implemented by the local government units, and non-government organizations from Olongapo City until Santa Cruz.

During the fiscal year ended 2006, there were 2,667 individuals are trained along this level on skills like: Reflexology, Housekeeping, Butchering, Welding, Lathe Machine Operation, Computer Operation, Basic Electricity, Basic Electronics, Bar tendering and Herbal Soap Making.

Along the enterprise based level training – industries with programs under the “Kasanayan at Hanapbuhay” Program or the Apprenticeship/ Learnership program are on-going accepting trainees for Industrial Electrician, Plastic Molder, Shop Tailor, Fitter, Welder, Circuit Breaker Maker, Core Assembler, General Clerk, Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Electrician, Cashier, Stock Clerk, Cook and Painter.

During the fiscal year ended 2006, there were 847 persons trained. And 50% of the graduates were absorbed by the implementing industry. (by Recto Mangosing Adamos - PIA Zambales)

Hanjin eyes early expansion of Subic facility

Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. of Korea will expand its shipbuilding facility at Subic Bay Freeport by at least 100 hectares to house a training center and water treatment substation and other support facilities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator and chief executive officer Armand Arreza told reporters Hanjin’s facility would eventually occupy 500 hectares in the Redondo district.

Hanjin initially had provisions for 100 hectares and another 240 hectares for the second phase of the project. Its operations in Subic entail total investments of $1 billion.

Arreza said the ship maker had 12 orders of ship vessels, with the first ship to be delivered by 2008. Because of the orders, the company now needs some 3,000 welders. It plans to hire 200 new welders each month.

The project is expected to generate at least 15,000 new direct jobs for workers in Subic.

Hanjin, the fifth largest shipbuilder in South Korea, said its investment in Subic was part of its global strategy to improve competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry by expanding its operations overseas.

The new training facility is a permanent in-house training center to help boost the skills of prospective workers in the province.

The Korean shipbuilder opened a training center in the Freeport for P40 million early this year, converting a multi-purpose building within its shipyard.

The temporary facility, which was constructed jointly by HHIC-Philippines, SBMA, the provincial government of Zambales and the municipality of Subic, has three classrooms, 70 welding booths, one pipe-fitting room, four painting rooms and a large working area that could accommodate a maximum of 200 trainees and instructors.

It is also equipped with over 80 welding machines, two gouging machines, 40 automatic cutting machines, 80 manual cutting machines, one hydraulic shearing machine, a compressor, fork lift, 13 airless pumps, 60 air grinders and several other contemporary machinery.

During the three-month training period, 100 trainees, mostly from Zambales, Olongapo City and Bataan, will be taught the necessary skills to qualify them for shipbuilding jobs.

Hanjin Philippines managing director Myung Goo Kwon said a factor for the success of the shipbuilding industry in the international market was the pool of qualified and competent manpower, which is remotely available in the country at the moment.

By Elaine Ruzul S. Ramos - Manila Standard Today