The Focolare Carpentry Training Center (FCTC) is the fruit of an act of love inspired by the Gospel. In 1968, to be able to provide livelihood for two young men from the Mountain Province, Carlo Degasperi, an Italian focolarino, started a small carpentry workshop in Bangkal, Makati. Because their love could be felt in the quality of their work, many clients came to see them for repair of chairs, tables, beds, and other woodcraft. Before long, they were already making new furniture. The demand for their services and work increased, and there was a need to invite more young men to train and work in the small workshop.

The workshop started to receive bigger job orders, and thus it was necessary to move several times from one location to another, the new location always with a bigger space than the last one. In 1989, with a financial grant from the Italian NGO, Azione per un Mondo Unito (AMU), a 3,680-square-meter piece of land in Cainta, Rizal, was purchased and a modern facility built. On May 21, 1991, the late President Corazon C. Aquino, with the assistance of several officials from the Italian Embassy and the Apostolic Nunciature in the Philippines, inaugurated the new site of the FCTC. While a major part of the facility was principally dedicated to commercial manufacturing activities, enough space was also set aside for activities of the training program.

Two classrooms were built for the training program. There was also a dormitory for trainees coming from provincial areas, as well as a kitchen and dining facilities and some areas for recreation. The facilities include modern machinery that allows high-quality output of products that showcase the talent of the Filipino worker. But beyond the skills learned and transmitted to many young men, what is valued most are the relationships built with clients, between mentors and trainees, and among co-workers. A substantial portion of the profits of the successful commercial manufacturing activity goes to the funding of the training program.

Training Program

In 1995, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports awarded a certificate of recognition to the FCTC for the training it has provided to out-of-school youth. In October 1997, the FCTC signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). In compliance, the FCTC submits regular reports on the progress of the training program. The trainees who complete the program receive a Certificate of Completion.

The program is open to out-of-school youth whose families do not have the economic capacity to provide education or training for their children. The applicants come from every part of the country and from different cultural, religious and social backgrounds. Every year, we begin with as many as thirty (30) qualified applicants. The trainees undergo a program developed together with qualified academic and technical advisers and approved by TESDA. The trainee also becomes a full scholar with allowance.

Aware of the potential of the Filipino out-of-school-youth, FCTC envisions skills training as a means to improve lives and, at the same time, provide not only skilled but also value-oriented manpower for the industry. The trainee undergoes both theoretical and practical training. There are lessons in technical English, Mathematics, drawing, tools, and machine operations. The trainee learns furniture carpentry through observation and actual application of carpentry skills on particular projects. Master carpenters (of whom many are graduates of the training program) become mentors to the trainees following a “big brother” approach. The trainee works together with the trainers and learns to read and execute working drawings. Towards the end of the program, the members of the graduating class are guided with important steps to take when applying for work. There are also basic lessons on entrepreneurship.

Their work experience starts from cutting the wood, using different tools and machines, assembly, and finishing. The trainee discovers that the finished product is, in itself, more than just a piece of furniture – it is a treasure born out of the harmonious interaction of trainees, shopworkers, and trainers. During the process of learning, the trainees are rotated or transferred from one work group to another. This enables the trainee to acquire and apply various carpentry skills and techniques. Trainees observe strict study and work schedules, thus acquiring working habits necessary as they enter into the employment stage. The spirit behind this process is the desire for unity through unselfish sharing of knowledge and resources.

Aside from technical subjects, there are also lessons in values formation, family life, and catechism (for Catholics). There are also regular Word of Life meetings¹ for those who are interested. A basketball tournament becomes the main physical activity of the program. In the summer months, trainees are brought out of town for an educational trip.

From the first graduates in 1999, more than 220 young men have completed the training program. In the early years, we were able to hire some of these graduates. While some have found jobs in other furniture manufacturing companies, others have started their own workshops. Because of the country’s improved economic performance, many new furniture companies have started, and our graduates have become in demand to fill job positions in these companies.

Spin-off

Although the training program, as a social project of the Work of Mary, was kept separate from the manufacturing and commercial activities of FCTC, it was deemed necessary to make a clear distinction between the two. In 2016, a proposal to spin-off was approved. As a result of this decision, SJTC Manufacturing, Inc. (SJTC) was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 4, 2016, as a stock corporation. Its purpose: “to engage in the production, promotion, and wholesale and retail trade of various types of furniture and other items of similar nature.” This step will provide wider opportunities for further development and growth of the manufacturing and commercial activity of the carpentry shop. At the same time, this allowed the Work of Mary to preserve its primary purpose and objective: the renewal of Christian life, and FCTC continues to be the concrete expression of this life.

COVID-19

In March 2020, the training program was suspended indefinitely because of health restrictions due to COVID-19. The financial crisis also resulted in the loss of funds to support the program. However, faith in the providence of God pushed us to pursue alternatives. In July 2021, FCTC was invited to apply for qualification to receive funding for one year under the Alternative Learning System-Education and Skills Training Program of the Development Academy of the Philippines – Department of Education (DAP-DepEd ALS-EST Program). Notice of Approval of our “Training-for-Livelihood Program” came in October 2021. In June 2022, we awarded 23 successful trainees their Certificate of Completion in a simple graduation ceremony. Because of the popularity of our program, all 23 graduates had already been offered jobs before graduation, and all of them are now gainfully employed.

Sustainability

The training program, which is integrated with Christian values, develops young people into becoming concerned citizens, aware that they will be responsible tomorrow because of what they do today. We continue to carry out initiatives to sustain this program.

For further information, please visit us at

·         Don Celso S. Tuason Avenue, Valley Golf, Cainta, Rizal

·         www.fctc.com.ph

Floro Flores

¹ Meetings where those who attend reflect on passages from the Bible and share concrete experiences of putting the Word of God into practice