EDC PR 2016 (CSR section)

Features
Enhancing Youth Employability
KEITECH helps young, indigent Filipinos meet their potential
The last (9th) batch of KEITECH’s
Extension Service graduates from
the construction, plumbing and EIM
courses have acquired the skills
they needed to help in Leyte
rebuilding efforts
To address the high incidence of poverty and unemployment, EDC partnered with the local government of
Kananga, Leyte, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) of Region VIII to establish
the Kananga-EDC Institute of Technology (KEITECH) in 2009. Seven years later, the technical-vocational school is a
proven success, with 95 percent or 652 of the 686 KEITECH graduates now employed in the construction, metals
and engineering, and tourism industries. Incidentally, 42 of our graduates are now working in six foreign countries.
The program has won the TESDA Kabalikat award for three years in a row since 2013.
Qualified youth receive a full scholarship — including uniforms, shoes, safety gear, tools, supplies, and materials
— and are given full accommodations and meals. Their stay usually lasts for 11 months, following a TESDAprescribed
curriculum tailor-fit to in-demand jobs in construction, metals and engineering, tourism, and health and
social services. KEITECH scholars also learn the right work attitude, guided by the Lopez values of a pioneering
entrepreneurial spirit, business excellence, unity, nationalism, social justice, integrity, and employee welfare and
wellness. These “soft skills” and behavioral attributes have earned KEITECH graduates work citations and a solid
reputation for excellent service.
This year, there were 28 graduates from the regular KEITECH program. To date, KEITECH graduates have
consistently achieved a 100 percent passing rate in Competency Assessment and National Certifications. Job
placement schemes and partnerships with 20 industry partners have resulted in the majority of the graduates being
gainfully employed in their chosen fields, both here and abroad. These graduates have become breadwinners for
their families, and serve as mentors to younger KEITECH scholars following in their footsteps.
Special course for Yolanda survivors
KEITECH had originally prioritized residents of Kananga town for its subsidized training, but in the aftermath of
super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), the tech-voc school opened its doors from April 2014 to
June 2016 to residents of 16 typhoon-affected areas, including Kananga, Ormoc City, Leyte District II, and Eastern
Samar. This was part of the Lopez Group’s commitment to the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation
and Recovery (OPARR) to help the Yolanda survivors, and fast-track the rebuilding efforts.
KEITECH offered a special three-month long technical-vocational training on three major programs on carpentry,
plumbing, and electrical installation and maintenance. As of June 2016, 1,165 trainees had completed their
KEITECH training, and 76 percent of the graduates were already employed in various construction industries,
working on the rebuilding efforts.
KEITECH is shaping not only the future of our youth, but also embodies the true meaning of public-private
partnership. Their training programs, which help the marginalized, have ensured inclusive and equitable quality
education, and guaranteed productive employment and decent work. The KEITECH extension program has also
brought untold benefits to unemployed Filipinos who had experienced a profound loss, and needed to rebuild
their lives.
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I Energy Development Corporation Performance Report 2016