MORE than 4,000 students of Cebu City Don Carlos A. Gothong Memorial National High School are expected to gain improved access to technical and vocational training after receiving upgraded electrical and solar energy learning facilities.
The project aims to strengthen students’ employability by equipping them with industry-relevant skills in electrical installation and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems while helping address the country’s growing demand for skilled workers in the energy sector.
Meridian Power Inc. (MPI), a unit of Vivant Energy, and Vivant Foundation Inc. (VFI) turned over Electrical Installation and Maintenance (EIM) and solar equipment to the school, along with a retrofitted EIM laboratory and specialized training for teachers on Solar PV systems.
The upgrade enables the school to offer students a pathway to earn two Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) National Certifications — Electrical Installation and Maintenance and Solar PV Systems Installation — a capability that remains uncommon among public schools.
The initiative forms part of Project Liadlaw, VFI’s technical-vocational education program, which has expanded to 15 schools since its launch in 2017. The project uses a curriculum developed jointly by Vivant engineers, the Tesda, and the Department of Education to align classroom instruction with developments in the power and renewable energy industries.
“We’re in the business of power, so it matters to us how the next generation learns about it,” said Shem Jose W. Garcia, executive director of Vivant Foundation. “The curriculum guides teachers in the updated standards of what needs to be taught. This is how we give the students a good head start — with the skills that are relevant to the profession.”
Bienvenido C. Saniel III, vice president of Meridian Power, said the investment provides students with practical competencies that can immediately improve their employment prospects.
“They’re graduating with hands-on, marketable skills in electrical and solar work,” Saniel said. “Vocational education like this is only going to become more valuable as the country’s energy needs grow. Even for students who don’t end up working as electricians, they leave with practical skills they can carry into whatever they choose to pursue.”
The turnover ceremony was attended by Garcia and Saniel, together with Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Nimfa D. Bongo, Barangay San Nicolas Proper chairperson Clifford Jude Niñal, and school principal Charlie L. Salve.
Salve described the project as a milestone for the school, saying the upgraded facilities would help improve the quality of technical education available to students.
Vivant Foundation said it plans to expand Project Liadlaw to more schools nationwide as demand grows for workers with expertise in both conventional electrical systems and renewable energy technologies. / KOC