Enhancing Opportunities: Launch of the Advanced Welding Training Center (AWTC) to Empower Future Welders
By Kai H. Negado
“Kailangan makapag-produce tayo ng higher paying jobs… at least makapag-tayo ng business yung makaka-graduate dito sa ating training program,” Engr. Gerald Gallardo, a driving force behind this visionary project and Rotary Club of Mandaluyong Central (RCMC) Project Head, gives us a glimpse of how the Advanced Welding Training Center (AWTC) will help chart the future of workers highly skilled in the field of advanced welding and entice professional welders to become successful entrepreneurs as well.
Held at the DOST Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) on August 11, 2023, the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the establishment of the AWTC between the RCMC, the Philippine Welding Society (PWS), Inc., and the DOST-MIRDC, marks the beginning of another science, technology, and innovation-based intervention that will address the need for more training offerings on advanced welding processes.
Standing (from L to R): Ms. Irene Gallardo, President, RCMC; Engr. Jonathan Q. Puerto, Deputy Exec. Dir. for Technical Services, DOST-MIRDC; and Engr. Isidro Millo, Interim President, PWS Inc. Seated (from L to R): Engr. Gerald S. Gallardo, RCMC Project Head; Engr. Robert O. Dizon, Exec. Dir., DOST-MIRDC; and Mr. Dominador C. Eleazar, Jr, Exec. Dir., PWS, Inc.
During his congratulatory message, Atty. Clefford Pascual, Chief, Partnership and Incentives Assistance Division, who attended as a representative of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), underlined the AWTC's pivotal role in shaping both our workforce and the economy. Pascual aptly stated, “the establishment of the AWTC is not just an investment in education and training, but an investment for the industry and in the future of our Filipino brothers and sisters who will benefit from this collaboration.”
The AWTC is poised to amplify the welding proficiency of the Filipino workforce, catering to the increasing demands for skilled welders both within the country and abroad.
Engr. Reynaldo L. Dela Cruz, Chief, Industrial Training Section of DOST-MIRDC and Board Member of the PWS, Inc. emphasized on how the welding sector contributes to various industries, “kahit ospital, basta may maintenance, may welding.” He also enumerated the different major industries where welding is a crucial metalworking process, such as manufacturing, power generation, refinery, transportation, aerospace, food, agriculture, construction, and mining.
The DOST-MIRDC will house the facility in its compound, design its training programs, and manage its operations along with PWS, Inc. The completion of the AWTC facilities is anticipated by the end of 2023.
Proposed layout of the Advanced Welding Training Center (AWTC).
For updates and comprehensive insights into the AWTC's establishment and other services provided by the DOST-MIRDC, please visit the official DOST-MIRDC Facebook page and website at www.mirdc.dost.gov.ph.
