Saturday, May 24, 2008 Industry, gov’t establish training standards for auto LPG services
IN THE absence of a certifying body to asses the competency of technicians who install and convert vehicles to run with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), various stakeholders in Cebu convened to standardize the processes and regulations on auto LPG conversion.
The move, participated in by public transport groups and businessmen servicing the transport industry, is also in response to the transport sector’s need to improve the quality of automotive technicians since most of them only received informal training, said Jonathan Gesalem, proprietor of Econogas.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) 7, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of the Energy (DOE), as well as non-government organization Ecos Environmental Foundation, supported the program.
“This is also an effort to address the common misconceptions and safety concerns on the use of auto LPG (liquefied petroleum gas),” Gesalem said.
Gesalem told reporters that at present, people still consider the use of auto LPG as a health hazard, even though the product has already been in existence for 40 years in the country. He added that auto LPG is also used to run vehicles in more than 40 countries worldwide.
The use of auto LPG is also in compliance with the Clean Air Act, said Tereso Macapaz of DOE 7.
Gesalem said he believes that as prices of conventional fuel continue to rise, more vehicle owners will switch to LPG.
He said there is now a P20-price difference between auto LPG and regular gasoline.
Gesalem said coming up with a standard competency assessment instrument is also in compliance with DTI and DOE requirements.
For a conversion shop to be certified by DTI, it is required to have a technician who is certified on auto LPG conversion and installation.
But since there was no framework that existed on the certification of technicians, backyard auto shops that offer auto LPG conversion services find it hard to comply with such requirements.
Jesus Uy, an expert from DTI 7, admitted that at present the conversion shops in Cebu are “trying to cope” with the DTI requirements.
He added that one of the road blocks in certifying a conversion shop is the need to come up with a quality manual that should be according to the norms of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The training regulations and competency tools can now be applied and the lead assessors chosen by Tesda can already start certifying the shops and the technicians, said Director Rosanna Urdaneta.
There are already 10 lead assessors in Cebu identified by Tesda.
The workshop conducted yesterday was to validate the competency assessment standard instruments that will be used in certifying the technicians, as well as the training regulations to be implemented.
A technician who undergoes training on auto LPG conversion will also have to pass a written and practical competency exam before the technician gets certification.
Uy said the latest development will discourage “fly-by-night shops.”
“I’m proud of this one and everybody should be,” Urdaneta said, adding that the program is the first of its kind in the region.
“This is a product of a consultative and participatory meeting of the industry, the government and the workers themselves,” she said.
Tesda 7, together with the Cebu transport sector, will also endorse the outputs of the workshop to the national level so that it becomes a national standard.
Florante Inoturan of Tesda Central Office in Manila said he will present the training regulations and certification exams to his supervisor. He added that he will also propose for the Tesda board to approve the industry tools so that these can be used to standardize auto LPG conversion in the country.
“The Cebu stakeholders should also take credit for this once this will be validated at the national level,” he said.
Once the Tesda board approves the materials, funding can also be appropriated for the project. Taxi operators and conversion shop owners, like Gesalem, have contributed funds for the program and the workshops.
Ramon Ventura Jr. of Ecos Environment Foundation said that with the training regulations in place, it would be easier for taxi operators and transport groups to access financial aid from government banks to fund the costs of LPG conversion.
Usually, banks will require documentation that shows training on auto LPG to approve a loan.
At present, auto LPG conversion kits are only available for vehicles using gasoline but Macapaz confirms that a program for diesel users is also being studied by DOE. Macapaz, however, did not give more information as the details on the diesel program is still with DOE Central Office. (DME)
