Subic Bay Freeport — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Seatrium Subic Shipyard Inc. (SSSI) recently held a dialogue to discuss programs and services aimed at enhancing the skills of local residents and expanding employment opportunities in the town of Subic.

The discussion was held with SSSI’s employee-volunteer group, The Wave Makers, which sought to update partners on ongoing joint initiatives with the ship repair and conversion company. SSSI is a major shipyard in the Philippines located within the Subic Shipyard Special Economic Zone.

Seatrium Subic Shipyard provides a wide range of services, including ship repair and conversion, new building and fabrication, and offshore structure and topside module fabrication.

The dialogue aimed to update partners on existing collaborations, explore expanded cooperation on employment facilitation and specialized skills training, and identify potential projects on women empowerment and community engagement—key advocacies of The Wave Makers.

TESDA Provincial Training Center (PTC) Iba Center Administrator Eugene Peñaranda said the dialogue reinforced the shared direction of the partners.

“Through this meaningful dialogue with Seatrium and The Wave Makers, we strengthen our shared commitment to expanding quality skills training, creating greater employment opportunities for our graduates, and advancing community-centered and inclusive TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) initiatives in Zambales,” Peñaranda said.

Peñaranda opened the program with an overview of the center’s profile, services, and accomplishments. This was followed by a presentation from Seatrium Subic Shipyard HR Manager Alex Caoleng, who discussed the company’s programs, manpower requirements, and continuing partnership with TESDA.

Members of the Singapore delegation also presented Seatrium’s operations, career profiles, and community initiatives.

One of the key outcomes of the dialogue was an agreement to further strengthen the partnership through the continued conduct of local recruitment activities at PTC Iba. The arrangement allows qualified graduates to be systematically pooled and screened for possible deployment to various positions within Seatrium.

The initiative supports the shared goal of maintaining a steady employment pipeline that responds to industry needs.

Trainees and graduates also shared testimonials on how technical-vocational education contributed to their livelihood and career development, highlighting the importance of skills training.

The visit concluded with a tour of the Welding, Electrical, Carpentry, and Automotive workshops, where the delegation viewed the center’s training facilities.