Some 41 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) partner-beneficiaries from Mandaue City recently participated in a free skills training with Knauf Philippines, Inc.

Knauf Philippines provided a two-day skills training on Standard Drywall and Ceiling System Installation with taping and jointing in Brgy. Subangdaku Gym.

Vincent Largo, the technical training officer of Knauf Philippines, shared that the Knauf partition systems offer flexible and durable solutions for creating internal walls and partitions in various building types, whether residential, commercial, or industrial.

“The lightweight partition systems offer high performance to meet the most demanding fire resistance, sound insulation, and height requirements,” added Largo.

As the infrastructure boom significantly fuels the Cebu real estate sector, it also demands highly skilled construction workers.

The training provided by Knauf Philippines, Inc. will increase the number of workers who know how to install drywall and ceiling systems in Cebu. It will lessen the cost of contractors because instead of hiring or bringing workers from Luzon, they will prioritize local workers.

This collaboration with DSWD Field Office 7 and Knauf Philippines will provide added skills and employment opportunities for the 4Ps partner-beneficiaries, eventually sustaining their family income to help them with their basic needs like food, shelter, clothes, and education.

“Isip padre de pamilya, kining training kay makatabang kini puhon kung adunay mo-hire na namo nga mga contractor. Maninguha ta alang sa atong pamilya labi na nga libre kini nga training nga gihatag sa amoa (As the head of the family, this training will eventually help us if there will be contractors who will hire us. We should work hard for our family especially this is already a free training provided to us),” said Ryan Jade Salutillo, a 4Ps beneficiary from Mandaue City.

Out of the 41 trained workers in Mandaue City, 26 are females and 15 are males. These will provide more opportunities for women in the construction industry.

The Knauff Philippines will also conduct similar training in Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City, targeting 4Ps beneficiaries as trainees.

After the training sessions, Knauf Philippines will conduct a K-Trabaho Fair for the trained workers, matching them with the hiring contractors.

As part of the government’s whole-of-society approach, the DSWD has consistently partnered with civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector to enhance the implementation of the 4Ps through their various programs, projects, and services.

The 4Ps, launched in 2008 and institutionalized in 2019 through Republic Act No. 11310, or the 4Ps Act, provide subsidies to the identified poor households whose children received education grants to finish elementary and senior high school, health grants, and rice subsidies. Its psychosocial and educational components through the Family Development Sessions (FDS) lead the beneficiaries to have improved and sustained well-being. ###