|
Thursday, January 01, 2004
A journey of a lifetime
By Mia Magsaysay-Cuenco
This is more than just a travelogue. Devoid of the gloss and fanfare, the basic theme for this feature is all about social-civic responsibility and living out purpose-driven lives amidst these modern times of neck-breaking technological advances, moribund gimmickry and hedonistic lifestyles.
This piece endeavors to tap into the deepest recesses of the reader’s hearts with the trite yet simple objective of underscoring the importance of doing our fair share in uplifting and edifying the future for our underprivileged youth.
This piece is a welcome respite and a stark departure from all the publicity stunts of politicos and the litany of gory and lurid headlines which are commonplace in this era of modern living…
The writer is my daughter, of course, and I am very proud of her because unlike her flibbertigibbet mother, Mia is profoundly spiritual and has a purpose in her life…
***
An invitation was sounded by Sister Aurora Roble, technical directress and training coordinator of the Mary Help of Christians School of Pampanga, enjoining partner companies of the Salesian Sisters to attend a seminar cum workshop at Germany. The offer for a 10-day seminar seemed surreal and incredulous since the trip was going to be an all-expense paid trip courtesy of InWent-Capacity Building International, a German organization for international human resource development, advanced training and dialogue.
Spearheaded by Division 4.01 of InWent, the rallying banner for ‘sustainable development’ was conceived with its primary focus on technology cooperation, system development and management in the field of technical and vocational education and training. The organization had undertaken projects aimed at strengthening the cooperation between schools/centers and companies and has cooperated with Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) on several programs on the management of technical/vocational education system, awareness building, advanced training and training of trainers.
The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, which runs the Mary Help of Christians School, have undergone training courses at InWent in Mannheim, Germany since 1994. The Sisters have successfully applied their knowledge in their work context which prompted the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to commission a team in March 2003 to evaluate the sustainability of programs conducted by InWent (as a result of a merger between two organizations CDG and DSE), specifically the cooperation between InWent and the Salesian Order of the Philippines. Division 4.01 is headed by Dr. Manfred Wallenborn with Heike Burskens as senior project manager and Heide Ros as project manager.
Since the main thrust of the Salesian Sisters is geared towards training of underprivileged women and girls from the Philippines, it embarked on the dual training system (DTS) approach in their vocational training courses in 1997 whereby the trainees receive practical on the job training equivalent to 75% and theoretical inputs of 25%. The actual training is conducted at the premises of the various partner-companies over a range of 5-10 months.
This formidable congregation has flung wide its nurturing institution across Pampanga, Minglanilla Cebu, Manila (Laura Vicuña School) with the latest addition in Mindoro. The training centers in Pampanga and Cebu offer a wide range of courses spanning business and office technology, industrial electronics, computer technology, network administration, hotel and tourism technology and industrial sewing/ garments. A dacum or curriculum on selling technology is currently being developed to address the growing demand for trainees in this field. The Don Bosco Training Center for underprivileged boys based in Pasil, Cebu is currently evaluating the direction or veering towards the DTS system whereby its students are taught automotive technology and machine shop operations.
DTS is rooted in RA 7686, which had taken effect in 1994 although its beneficial and pertinent features have not been fully maximized. The DTS has remained an untapped potential for skilled manpower in the workplace scenario where the linkage between vocational/technical schools and companies needs to be strengthened to bring into completion the objectives of the law. Although the DTS is acknowledged to be a preferred means of creating a dependable pool of well-trained operators, craftsmen and technicians, few entities have actually ventured into the realm of a full-blown partnership. By far, more establishments have embarked instead in the foothold of dubious contractualization schemes through direct hiring or agency placements as a means of subverting the vague provisions of the law on permissible and prohibited subcontracting.
In sharp contrast, the manifold objectives of the DTS Act are laudable since the thrust is to equip the trainees with skills and competencies to meet occupational standards and requirements, acquire analytical and creative thinking and problem solving abilities in the actual workplace setting. The schools are tasked to ingrain values and attitudes of the trainees steeped in spiritual formation, work ethics, quality orientation, discipline, honesty and self-reliance. This element in character building is visibly amiss in the aspect of contracting and subcontracting deals. One feature that remains dormant to this day is ironically the provision on incentives whereby participating firms advocating the DTS will be entitled to a deduction from the taxable income, an amount representing 50% of the actual system expenses paid to the accredited DTS educational institution. This tax incentive was supposed to serve as a motivation to encourage a broader based participation among companies and other enterprises. In this regard, little is known as to whether or not the Department of Finance has formulated regulations for the maximization of this tax incentive. That is why the need to forge a multiple pronged alliance with Tesda (created by RA 7796), the Department of Finance, voc-tech schools and companies, is the key that will unlock diverse opportunities for the public and private sectors to spur the economic growth and potentials for employment of a skilled workforce that will attract increased levels of investment. The tact of propagating the DTS by providing opportunities for skills formation, will undoubtedly affirm the truism about the need for corporate and entrepreneurial social and civic responsibility.
In a commendable effort to sustain the DTS approach in the technical/vocational curriculum of the Salesian Sisters, a study undertaken by InWent disclosed that there was a need to strengthen the cooperation and increase the awareness among the school’s current and potential partners in the manufacturing, service and retail sectors. In this regard, InWent lent its wholehearted support to solidify the efforts of the Salesian Sisters by inviting select staff in its training centers, and representatives from small, medium and large scale enterprises/companies for the two-week exposure in Germany.
Ably facilitating the program was Dr. Norma Lange-Tagaza, a Filipina based in Worms, Germany. She heads “Interconsult”, which is a network of international management trainers, organizational development consultants and coaches. Over a two-week period, participants were enraptured with a host of topics and activities which highlighted the dual training system in Germany, the roles and responsibilities of vocational schools, companies and government in the implementation of vocational training, ensuring the quality of vocational training and developing networks and partnerships.
A retinue of experts on vocational training were on hand to provide information on the German DTS approach, and visits to various companies were pursued which gave the participants a wider perspective on the full implementation of the DTS system since there were numerous opportunities to swap insights which broadened the depth and breadth of the diverse viewpoints. Participants had the opportunity to experience the German DTS in real scenarios where the scheme is flourishing and fully implemented.
Indeed, the exposure was more than just a junket of sorts—although the trip did include excursions and guided trips to breathtaking tourist destinations at Worms, Hiedleberg, Mannheim, Speyer, Mainz, Boblingen and a side trip to Paris, France through the untiring efforts of coordinators Andrea Katzmarek and our endearing mother hen, Ulrike Burkardt.
The reflection that may be gleaned from this journey is that we all are driven to live out a meaningful purpose in our lives which goes far beyond the confines of our individualistic or corporate-centered inclinations. Ultimately, there is a gradual discovery that our lives form part of a more intricate and vast design to offer all glory, power and praise to the source of all creation: God Almighty. What better way to affirm our love for Him than by serving the least of our brethren in a deliberate, concerted effort to uplift their plight and lift up on high the banner of unity in this endeavor… “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Truly, the journey has just begun…
The challenge is now being posed to those to whom much is given because the Lord wants nothing less than a true offering our time, our talent and our treasure. What we do now in our temporal lives has consequences that will have a directly proportional effect for all eternity. God will reward us in direct proportion to what we have done to multiply our lives for Him. His response will have an impact on eternal life.
Each moment in our lives should be an opportunity to serve God fully.
Faithful servants need to serve Him faithfully on earth to gain the rewards by ruling with Him in heaven perfectly. Reward is the total result seen in the light of one’s potential. We are given more opportunities to do His will through loving service. Our serving our brethren faithfully on earth means ruling perfectly there in heaven since ruling is connected with stewardship because heaven is equated with doing and is of different degrees. The Lord evaluates our faithfulness in terms of our potential.
Tap into that God-given potential now and make an investment that will
outlast the test of time…
(For further inquiries on InWent and the Salesian Sisters, one may contact Sister Aurora Roble at Mary Help of Christians, 2010 Mabalacat, Pampanga with tel. no. 045-652-5037 or Sister Guia Asparen at Mary Help of Christians School, Km. 17, Tunghaan, Minglanilla Cebu with tel. no. 032-272-8435)
(January 1, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
