KEITECH’s Batch 2024 traineesEnergy Development Corporation (EDC)-established KEITECH Educational Foundation Inc. celebrated the graduation of 90 Batch 2024 trainees during its 15th commencement exercises held at the KEITECH campus in Kananga, Leyte, on Nov. 29, 2024.

The graduation theme, “Builders of Tomorrow: Skilled, Disciplined and Ready to Lead,” embodies KEITECH’s 15-year-old vision and boldly declares that KEITECH graduates are ready to redefine their future and make impactful contributions as nation builders. Their six-month in-campus skills training and five months of on-the-job training earned them two to four national certificates in construction hand craftsman, hotel and restaurant services or heavy industrial multi-process welding. Additionally, they completed specialized certifications in construction occupational safety and health, basic life support and fire safety, among others.

KEITECH president Atty. Allan Barcena, in his welcome remarks, highlighted the institution’s milestones over its 15-year journey. What began as a dream to establish a school—with TESDA and the local governments of Kananga and Ormoc—that extends beyond education and contributes to nation-building has come to fruition, with over 1,200 graduates who are now part of the local and global workforce.

Barcena, who also leads corporate support functions at EDC, encouraged the graduates, saying: “We hope that you will also become nation builders, contributing not only the skills you have acquired from KEITECH but also the values you have learned.’’

This year’s recipient of the Oscar M. Lopez Award of Excellence is 20-year-old Mark James Navarro from KEITECH’s hotel and restaurant services program. Navarro, who hails from Naghalin, Kananga, delivered an inspiring valedictory address that reflected on his journey, challenges and milestones as a trainee.

“At KEITECH, we were not just trained in technical skills and knowledge but also with life lessons. KEITECH taught us the values of integrity, humility and respect—values that will guide us as we step into the next phase of our lives,” Navarro shared. He encouraged fellow graduates to embrace future opportunities and make meaningful contributions to their communities or fields of endeavor.

Erwin Magallanes, KEITECH administrator and concurrent head of corporate relations at EDC, said of the 2024 graduating class: “Their skills will get them hired, but their self-discipline and good work attitude will keep them in their jobs and even get them promoted.”

Story by:Frances Ariola