THE TECHNICAL Education and Skills Development Authority has partnered with Petron Corporation to strengthen its automotive training program.

TESDA Director General Isidro Lapeña and Petron Corporation Vice President for Industrial Sales Virgilio Centeno on Friday, March 4, signed a memorandum of agreement to transform the former’s building 9 in Taguig City into a state-of-the-art car care center.

The facility will be operational in June this year.

The center, which will be called “TESDA – Petron Car Care Center,” will be patterned after the Petron Car Care Center.

The standard Petron Car Care Center offers a complete line of professional automotive care services from light to heavy repairs, as well as tire services such as wheel balancing and alignment.

The TPCCC will be equipped with various tools and equipment provided by Petron and necessary for the conduct of trainings and assessment, which will be offered in coordination with the TESDA Regional Training Center-National Capital Region.

The training programs will initially focus on Preventive Maintenance Servicing, and later will include Automotive Servicing and allied diploma programs.

The agreement also entails TESDA to facilitate the conduct of skills training for higher level qualifications and diploma programs for Automotive Servicing to its identified clients and to Petron’s auto-mechanic technicians.

Petron shall share its existing technical knowledge and programs, specifically on the application of lubes for vehicles.

Lapeña said that the partnership will ensure the delivery of demand-driven technical vocational education and training and provide job security to graduates through industry partners.

“We are optimistic that this venture will create a better, more comprehensive learning experience for the Filipino workforce, preparing them for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the constantly evolving world of work,” he said.

Meanwhile, Centeno welcomed the opportunity to tie up with TESDA.

“We welcome this opportunity with TESDA to use one of our strengths as an industry leader to empower our less fortunate countrymen so they can lead better lives. This can also address our country’s need for more skilled personnel while increasing our productivity as a nation especially with the pandemic still ongoing,” Centeno said.