Dole Backs Shipbuilding Training Center in Zambales Amid Korean Partnership

MANILA, Philippines — A proposed shipbuilding training center in Zambales is being fast tracked by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) following a partnership with Korean executives on Friday. This was announced at a meeting with the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) and Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute (KOMERI). In the event, Dole brought up the proposed Official Development Assistance (ODA) project with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). READ: First HD Hyundai vessel marks Subic shipbuilding industry’s revival The agency said the initiative aims to strengthen the Filipino workforce in the shipbuilding industry for stronger maritime capabilities and resources in the country. “We understand the urgency of this because Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will convene in November this year,” Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said. “Rest assured that on our end, including Tesda, we will be working double time to fast-track the mechanics and details of the agreement. We will be supportive of the endeavor,” he noted. “This would be of great help to the Philippine shipbuilding industry,” he added. Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries inaugurated its shipyard in Subic, Zambales last year, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to revive the country’s shipbuilding industry. Hyundai, one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world, is among the tenants at the 310-hectare maritime and industrial complex, also known as the Agila Subic shipyard. /apl