Abdulmannan D. Uckung, provincial training center administrator of TESDA said that this is the second time that TESDA conducted skills training to selected inmates of the city jail, saying that “the concept or purpose of the training is for detainees to become assets again of the community and of our country as well.”
Uckung stressed that the government has exerted effort, money, and time for inmates to become more productive even when detained.
“You can be productive even in jail,” he stressed.
He recalled that TESDA had already conducted Consumer Electronic Servicing (CES) training recently at the city jail that sought to give the inmates a better life ahead.
TESDA believes that one day the detainees will visit its office announcing that they are already free.
“In spite of your situation today, you are still lucky because your warden has allowed the training inside the city jail. Not all city jails offered this one, considering the security concerns that need utmost attention.
But you have proven that you are disciplined inmates,” he said.
He added that TESDA has proven that the agency has produced good and competent graduates.
“But being good at your skills is not enough because a skilled worker must possess right attitude to work,” he said.
In his testimony, an inmate was grateful for the training, saying that thoughts and ideas were appreciated more when it is expressed and done in actual training rather than written or spoken.
“We learn by doing. We were taught residential and building type wiring circuits and installations components on hot or live connections with 220 volts of it, with 25 students to be taught with extreme caution that no one will get electrocuted,” he said.
He expressed some minor disappointments especially when scheduled classes are postponed, and that they were eager to attend classes.
“Chance favors the prepared mind, to succeed we need to prepare. How can we succeed if chance to prepare is taken out of equation? To attend classes relives us of our stresses and boredom inside the jail,” he said, adding “but in the end the training was a success.”
One Isabela City Jail (ICJ) personnel who underwent the training also shared his learning testimony.
He shared that as a young boy, he assisted his engineer father to do some wiring jobs.
“I thought experience is enough but learning from TESDA has contributed to my better understanding of the principles and theory of electrical installation and maintenance,” he said.
Meanwhile, ICJ Warden Insp. Benjamin P. Cepeda thanked TESDA and the Department of Education (DepEd) for the project. DepEd has also been conducting alternative classes to some inmates under the Alternative Learning System A&E program.
The warden was grateful for the untiring support that TESDA and DepEd have given to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-ICJ for the enhancement and development of skills of selected detainees.
“While we are having this closing ceremony today, let us all be reminded that this is just the end of one thing and the beginning of another thing,” he said.
TESDA has given 25 scholarship grants to BJMP where 14 slots were for detainees and 11 for city jail personnel.
The graduation was held last April 11, 2014 at Isabela city jail.
BJMP envisions itself as a dynamic institution highly regarded for its sustained humane safekeeping and development of inmates.