CCCI’s dual education, training program produces 14 seafood production workers

CEBU CITY – The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) recognized the successful completion of 14 seafood production workers under its Dual Education and Training (DET) program during CCCI’s General Members' Meeting (GMM) on February 27 at the Oakridge Pavilion in Mandaue City, to meet the growing demand for skilled labor in Cebu’s seafood production industry.

These 14 graduates have now earned certification as Certified Seafood Production Workers: a crucial step in addressing the skills gap within the region’s workforce. Through CCCI’s DET program, these graduates help to close the gap by ensuring that they not only gain theoretical knowledge but also develop the practical experience that employers require, said CCCI president Jay Yuvallos.

This milestone marked the conclusion of the recently finished FISH Visayas Project Phase 2, which was implemented under CCCI’s Assessment, Certification, and Accreditation Services (ACAS). The graduates completed 240 hours of intensive classroom learning, followed by 912 hours of hands-on, in-company experience, Yuvallos shared.

Yuvallos bared that the DET Program and the graduates’ certification aligned with the workforce training with the demands of the seafood production sector. In today’s competitive job market, industries like seafood production are facing challenges in finding workers with the precise skills required to succeed.

CCCI recognizes its partner companies: Siargao Bounty Seafoods Corporation, Central Seafoods Inc., HJR International, and Phil Union Frozen Foods Inc.-for their invaluable role in shaping the future of Cebu’s seafood industry.  These companies have not only contributed to the program’s success but also demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the local workforce.

CCCI also thanked its partner academic institutions-- Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology and CITE Institute of Technology by providing top-quality education and training, ensuring that the program’s curriculum aligns with the needs of both the students and the industry.

“Through programs like DET, CCCI continues to champion workforce development and we remain committed to fostering collaboration between the academic sector and industries to provide sustainable solutions to skills mismatches in the labor market,” Yuvallos concluded. (Photos: CCCI)