Even in this age when women are making names for themselves in all fields of endeavor, the old-fashioned view that a woman’s place is in the home is still held true, especially among the lower-income classes. This attitude has made it difficult for many impoverished women to find work.

Education and TWC Training
Poverty forced Eva to quit school with only a year to go through college. Living in Dasul, Pangasinan, where her parents were small fish dealers, she went to Baguio City to look for work. Baguio City is the nearest commercial place from her hometown that could offer her a better paying job. Eva worked for three months as a production operator in a factory in the City of Pines.

When her work contract ended, Eva went to Bataan. She learned from a friend that there were job openings in a garment factory. However, one of the requirements was a certificate showing completion of technical-vocational course, preferably from TESDA. Feeling downhearted, Eva decided to go back to Pangasinan. Before her work in Baguio City, Eva had been helping her parents in fish dealing as a viajera.

In one of her talks with her sister, Eva mentioned about needing a TESDA certificate to be able to get work in a garment factory in Bataan. Eva’s sister is a soldier stationed in Fort Bonifacio, which is just a few kilometers from the TESDA’s training center. She told Eva about TWC and its free quality training courses for women. Eva thought she could make something out of her life with the skills training offered by the Center.

To enroll in a course, an applicant must have at least a high school degree and should be between 18 and 50 years old.. Eva was already in her third year in commerce when she quit school and at that time, Eva was already in her mid-20s. After passing the qualifying exam and interview, Eva joined the fifth batch of students for the TWC pre-employment skills training course.

Employment
A requirement in the completion of the TWC training course is an onthe-job training (OJT). Eva took her OJT at the House Technology Industries (HTI) Pte. Ltd., a Singaporean firm in EPZA, Cavite that manufactures fiberglass, reinforced plastic bathtubs, bathtub fixtures, and other bathroom products. Eva was electronic technician trainee for five months. After her OJT, the manufacturing company took her in as a regular contractual employee. “When an employer is satisfied with your performance, the employer renews and renews the job contract,” explained Eva about her employment status.

The first few days at the HTI were trying for Eva. Being a woman in a male-dominated work area made the work harder for her. There were only two women, Eva and another TWC graduate, Benilda M. Rivera, and 60 men in their division. While they knew they were knowledgeably equipped to make the forklift run, jesting from their male co-workers did little to boost their confidence in accomplishing their work. So Eva would always go back to what she had learned about gender and development which she learned as part of the TWC training course that the students are given focusing on leadership training and gender issues as well as social skills programs in gender development.

“Gender has nothing to do with what one can do and accomplish,” Eva would constantly remind herself. “We’ve been given high quality and relevant training – and that’s what matters here.” It also helped that she and Benilda could call TWC and ask questions about work. Also, the TWC would send them latest informational materials on electronics. In time, she and Benilda were able to prove themselves as competent electronic technicians – and thus, earning the respect of their co-workers.

The Future
With her technical-vocational training, Eva feels empowered to be gainfully employed. She is able to support her own economic needs. She can now extend financial assistance to her family. Of course, she still dreams of moving on to a more stable and better paying job. It could either be in the company that presently employs her or at another company. Eva believes that she can attain her dream because she is empowered with high quality employable skills.