(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati City, which has had an ongoing partnership with Porsche AG and PGA Cars in the Philippines since 2008, recently graduated a group of students from Eastern Visayas who are survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda), which struck the Philippines in November 2013. The super typhoon killed more than 6,200 people in the Philippines and affected more than 13 million people. The graduates are now sought-after “mechatronics,” or elite technical specialists, for Porsche vehicles.

According to a Manila Times article, Porsche saw an opportunity to provide sustainable assistance to a few of those affected by the tragedy. All of the 2014 enrollees of the program were survivors of the deadly typhoon and were supported in the training program through scholarships and assistance. These new graduates will easily find employment in a Porsche facility or dealership across Asia, allowing them to better provide for themselves and their families.

“Yolanda was a nightmare for many of us, and we remain glad to have survived it because many didn’t. Still there were doubts about what the future held for us because of all the destruction in our province,” said Chad Germanes, class valedictorian, who expressed his gratitude on behalf of his graduating class in the Manila Times article. “The training program has given us strength and hope to believe in ourselves because we now have a very marketable skill. We will never forget this opportunity, and we will not disappoint wherever we eventually become posted – whether here or elsewhere in the world.”

Porsche collaborates with Don Bosco Technical Institute in Manila to help underprivileged young adults gain the skills they need to find employment within one of its services centers. The partnership collaborates to provide a program in auto mechanics that allows top students from Don Bosco Technical Institute to enter into the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia (PTRCA).

Students enrolled in the program complete a 10-month basic training course that includes both theoretical and practical training at the Don Bosco Technical Institute where Porsche has set up and equipped a separate and dedicated training facility. During the program, students undergo advanced Berlitz-administered language lessons in English and Spanish, as well as training in customer service.

Twice a year the Institute selects its top 35 students to advance to the PTRCA’s comprehensive nine-month training program with Porsche specialists where students train on official Porsche vehicles using Porsche specialized tools. The program’s curriculum is continuously developing and adapting to the latest innovations and technology. The facility boasts state-of-the-art technical training equipment and advanced training and testing equipment complete with the latest specialized tools.

The program has been such a success that it was expanded under the revised tag PTRCA 2.0 to include sister brands Audi and Volkswagen. According to the Manila Times article, in anticipation of the increased number of trainees, Don Bosco Technical Institute is constructing a 6,000-square-meter training center to house seminar rooms and training workshops. The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also on board and has promised to certify graduates toward employment. Last year, the organization awarded PTRCA the “Innovation Award” for the sustainability, transferability and effectiveness of its life-changing program. In addition, Porsche has donated 50,000 euros to Don Bosco Mondo Germany to build additional schools in affected provinces as well as provide free enrollment to the Yolanda scholars of PTRCA.

More than one quarter of the population of the Philippines live in poverty, according to UNICEF. Poverty is most severe and widespread in rural areas where 80 percent of the population – close to 88 million people – make their home. The poorest Filipinos are indigenous populations, small-scale farmers who cultivate land received through agrarian reform, landless workers and fishermen. In addition, poverty rates are higher for women than men.

Access to education is a critical component to overcoming poverty. In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth, according to UNICEF. Almost a quarter of the country’s population, including a large percentage of children, live in poverty.

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Sources:

Manila Times – Yolanda batch’ graduates from Porsche training center

UNICEF – Philippines