A LIFELONG LEARNER FROM AKLAN

Dualtech Center is a home for many male learners of various circumstances who look forward to careers in the technical field. Documentary requirements help very much in certifying the capabilities of a new learner. But in certain cases involving great material challenges, the testimonies of some trusted partners carry weight when it is time to qualify a student-trainee.

This is the case of 23-year old Christian Seniel, which might sound straight out of a blockbuster movie. But sobering and also heartening as it is, stories like these not only keep the whole Dualtech family grounded. Just as importantly, these help the school keep track of the student demographics over time, so as to help the school refine its long term goals and targets.

He completed his basic training in Electromechanics Technology. Now, he is assigned to Bonflex Packaging Corporation for his in-plant training.

His odyssey began many years ago in far-flung Aklan as one of three children of a fisherman and a laundry woman. Growing up, he was acutely aware of the material lack as they are used to two meager meals a day, with a few condiments as viands. Early in life, he already earned for the family by collecting scrap metal to sell, diving to collect underwater items, and hauling containers of water to neighbors. When he was 8 years old, his family had to deal with the sudden death of his father from tuberculosis.

Shortly after, the mother was forced to give them up for adoption at a nearby center of the Missionaries of Charity. The nuns eventually endorsed them to one of SOS Children’s Villages (an NGO-backed organization) in the country.

Years passed, and Christian saw his siblings do well in school. He himself has tried earning in odd jobs ranging from hair cutting to doing construction work. When the pandemic struck, he was ready to begin college. But the mode of online studies proved to be too difficult for him to focus on learning, so much so that he dropped plans to earn a degree. But through a friend who is a social worker, he learned about Dualtech and was attracted to testimonies of stable employment after 2-years of training.