My name is Jane Gabiana. I am from Lapu-lapu City, Cebu province. I am 17-year-old. I am a senior high school student presently studying at the Asian Learning Centre. It has been financially hard for me to pursue my study, but I still do.

I joined the training programme [organized by the Cebu Contractors’ Association in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the ILO-UK Skills for Prosperity Programme in the Philippines] in construction painting because I wanted to learn new skills. And I also want to share what I learnt with other people.

I chose the construction painting because I believe it is the way that I could achieve my dream when I graduate from college. I further used the skills I learned from this training programme to paint our home.

What I liked most about the training programme is that I learned different lessons, skills and competencies. I also learned how to mingle with and respectfully treat other people including those who are LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer).

I am the eldest child in the family, having two little brothers. As the youngest trainee and one of the female trainees, I am very happy with this training group because I feel that other trainees are like my big brothers and big sisters.

I feel very happy during this graduation ceremony [on 1 March 2023] because this is the first time I graduated from a training programme. At the same time, I am also nervous.

After the graduation ceremony, my plan is to finish my study so that I will be able to achieve my dream. My dream is to finish my study, to help my family and find decent work.

For now, I have not decided yet about courses I will study in college. There are a lot of courses I think of.

I plan to take up other skills training programmes in construction-related fields such as masonry which I can use in the future to look for jobs.

I am looking for post-training support for my further studies in college. My family’s income is not enough to pay for school tuition fees. I will manage my time studying and taking part-time jobs so that I will be able to help my family to pay for my school tuition fees.

This is the first time I joined this kind of training programme. I would like to encourage women not to be hesitant to take up construction-related courses, just like me, even though they are male-dominated.

Fast facts The ILO-UK Skills for Prosperity Programme in the Philippines (SfP-Philippines) implemented a pilot on inclusive, area-based and industry-led lifelong learning models in Region 7, focusing on relevance of skills development in the construction sector in the tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu. Focusing on construction recognizes the on-going and future infrastructure development in the region which inevitably will require large numbers of skilled workers As part of the pilot, four skills training programmes in construction painting, masonry, carpentry and reinforced steel works were organized by SfP Philippines’ implementing partner, the Cebu Contractors’ Association (CCA), from November 2022 to February 2023, with scholarship support from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). 93 beneficiaries of these training programmes are women and men including youth who are considered vulnerable and marginalized either because they have been unemployed or have been displaced from their previous jobs, especially during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.