A total of 26 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were trained by the Regional Training Center (RTC) – Zamboanga Peninsula of TESDA 9 on dressmaking (blouse and skirt making) on March 27 – April 20, 2023, in Barangay Ayala, Zamboanga City.

This group was a beneficiary of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD which provided seed capital and tools and equipment to improve their socio-economic status. The RTC- ZamPen provided the capability-building component and trained them for 10 days, equipping them with skills in pattern making, blouse and skirt making, and entrepreneurship orientation.  The trainer, Ms. Charity Santander, handles the garment program of the RTC.

The closing program was held on April 20, 2023 with all the beneficiaries wearing their training outputs – blouse and skirt.  It was attended by the DSWD Provincial Coordinator, Ms. Melanie J. Ladjamalik and her staff, Barangay Chairman of Ayala, Ms. Imelda L. Dumdum, and TESDA IX- RTC Administrator, Ms. Jocelyn Wee.

The training beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to both TESDA-9 and DSWD-9 for the training program as this enabled them to learn blouse and skirt making and would make them more confident in accepting sewing jobs from neighbors and friends. The Barangay Captain of Ayala also committed to look for sewing projects for them.