Today marked the official start of our 2024 delegation to the Philippines, and we kicked things off by jumping right in with the skills training.

The day started with welcoming remarks from Ms. Carmel C. Tordesillas, the Supervising Administrative officer for Quezon City Training and Assessment. We also heard from Co-founder Cassandra Klewicki about TBBs history and mission.  Jane Vargas spoke about about the Association of Women Workers in the Construction Industry, and opened the program with a gender awareness training. She delivered an inspirational message and reminded us that AWWCI and TBB have formed this partnership to inspire women to join the construction industry. We will soon be adding a profile of this incredible organization to our delegation updates, so stay tuned.

Next our instructors Doreen Cannon (plumbing) and Kristine Byers (carpentry) began the skills training with tool identification and measurement training. We went over broad plumbing and carpentry concepts and introduced them to the project they will be building.

The Filipina delegates expressed a great deal of excitement about the training. Their backgrounds ranged from stay-at-home mothers and nurses to workers in other trades like welding. They were all interested in gaining technical skills in trades that are unfamiliar to them.

We finished the day by shopping for supplies, then prepping tools and materials for the hands-on portion tomorrow.

This training would not be possible without the hard work of our delegates from all of the countries involved. Our trainings are not only focused on enhancing technical skills, but also on the importance of cultural awareness, fostering connections, and building lasting relationships with our Filipino partners. As we embarked on this journey together, the enthusiasm in the room was palpable, and we were met with eager participants ready to learn and collaborate. When we work together we can accomplish anything. Stay tuned for some personal reflections from our delegates and more exciting updates on our training exchange.