Samsung, Don Bosco forge partnership

MANILA, Philippines - Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. (SEPCO) and Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) renewed their long-time partnership as they put up a manpower pool for DBTC graduates who will train with Samsung for possible employment in the future.

Twenty graduating students of DBTC-Mandaluyong’s technical-vocational education and training programs have been named as the first batch who will be dispatched to Samsung’s accredited service centers as technical trainees for a five-month training program, which SEPCO and DBTC launched in 2000.

“Samsung continues to build on our company’s belief in the power of technology to improve the plight of individuals in particular and society in general,” SEPCO president KC Park said.

He added that it is SEPCO’s goal to give back by inspiring poor but deserving students and giving them the chance to excel and improve their lives.

“We are proud to say that the programs has spread its wings well, and we are certain we can extend its benefits exponentially with both our long-term commitment,” DBTC vice president for planning and development Jun Bernad said.

SEPCO officials said they have been supportive of DBTC’s various projects, including improving the curriculum of its training centers and aligning them with industry requirements.

Through these ventures, Samsung and Don Bosco hope to bring about highly skilled graduates who can compete in the labor market and qualify for employment and become responsible citizens.

Since 1971, about 60,000 out-of-school youths have benefited from the programs of the DBTC’s training centers and street children centers, and 53,863 of them were later given employment.

The SEPCO-DBTC 15-month program includes 10 months of classroom and hands-on training and five months’ on the job training. The training curriculum will have Samsung provide product support and help set up the creation of a laboratory in the DBTC.

The partnership came on the heels of SEPCO’s recent tie-up with La Salle Green Hills for the school’s eTextbook/Personal Learning Device (PEARL) project, a pioneering program designed to make use of tablets in the classroom.