Opus Dei vocation center helps lessen poverty in RP

An Opus Dei vocation center helps alleviate the widespread poverty in the Philippines through vocational education and training programs adapting the German Dual Training System to local conditions.

“The vision and mission of Dualtech Training Center is to contribute to the common good by developing young people through the dual training system to become quality-trained, skilled, productive, enlightened and morally upright persons fulfilling the needs of industry and the community we serve,” Conrado Ma. Ricafort, an official of Information Office in Manila, told the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines News.

The number of graduates and beneficiaries as of 2007 are 5,455.

Last year 77 mechanics, technicians and machinists received their diploma from Dualtech Training Center and now gainfully working in different sectors.

The 12 of the 77 new graduates were trained and sponsored by Lufthansa Technical Training Philippines (Lufthansa Technik).

“The only place where you can find the word ‘success’ ahead of ‘work’ is in the dictionary. As an electro-mechanics graduates, like myself, I challenge you to work hard to attain success,” said Holger Beck, president of Lufthansa Technical Training Philippines, Inc., guest speaker at the commencement exercises for this year.

Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales blessed on Feb. 5, the chapel of Dualtech Center in Binondo, Manila, and encouraged students to study hard and excel in their jobs later. Monsignor Joseph Duran, Vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei in the Philippines, and other priests, concelebrated the Holy Mass. This was to highlight the celebration of Dualtech’s 25 years of existence.

Dualtech started in 1982 as a social development project in vocational education and training for male high school graduates. It has two campuses — one in Binondo and another in Canlubang, Laguna.

The school accepts 100 boys from poor families every month.

Dualtech prepares its students to be employed even before the end of the training program.

One of the graduates, Jon Jon Baldovino, said, “Before graduation, I had been working in a Dualtech partner company, Fujitsu Ten Corp. of the Philippines. Last June 18, the HRD manager of Fujitsu Ten asked me to sign the employment contract and extended his congratulatory hand to me saying ‘welcome to the Fujitsu Ten Corporation of the Philippines Family.”

More than 300 high schools in Metro Manila and Laguna refer trainees to Dualtech. Those accepted undergo a 24-month course in Electromechanics.

During the first six months, trainees study the basics of Electrical, Electronics and Mechanical Technology. The second part of the course is the one-and-a-half-year German Dual Training System where the students spend five days a week working in a partner factory or company, and one day in Dualtech for study and personal development. Dualtech stresses the personalized education of their trainees. Tutors and advisers are assigned to each student for academic and personal issues. Opus Dei provides the spiritual attention to the students.

Dualtech is in partnership with more than 100 manufacturing and service companies for the dual training system in-plant training program and program improvement; subsidies and scholarships for trainee education; and employment of graduates. It also offers the partner companies the benefits of more skilled personnel; training upgrade for their workers; and orientation of supervisors, foremen, lead-men and staff.

It assists its graduates to find work and the employment rate is nearly 100 percent. Practically all Dualtech trainees who worked at Lufthansa Technik through the years now form part of its regular work force.

Over 400 Dualtech graduates now work at Lufthansa Technik as Aircraft Mechanics.

About 1,700 students are presently enrolled at Dualtech of which 1,000 are scholars sponsored by Dualtech partners like Fujitsu Ten, the Honda Group, Nestlé, Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Temic Group, Coca-Cola, and Unilab.