Taguig city: A graduating student's passion for learning didn't just earn him two national skills certificates, but also brought him a gold medal in the Industrial Control category of the recently concluded WorldSkills ASEAN Manila. "I've always been interested in learning how things are made, how they function," James Bryan Estrada told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, this month, James is graduating with a degree in Bachelor of Engineering Technology major in Mechatronics Technology at the Technological University of the Philippines in Taguig City. While pursuing the degree, he also took the Mechatronics course as a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholar at the Human Resources Development Institute in Taguig City in April 2024, and received his national certificate (NC) II in the same month. He received the NC III in September 2024. The course's duration, he said, was only about five weeks, but it took him five months to finish it because he was juggling between his college course on weekdays and technical-vocational course on weekends.
James had his on-the-job training at FS Automation and Solutions, Inc. in Cavite, which provided him with a coach for the WorldSkills ASEAN competition. He said he plans to work in the same company after graduation. Working with professionals gave James an edge during the competition. "They shared tips. My colleagues taught me that rest is a must. They also highlighted that if you do a hard task now, you should be working on a lighter task next," James said.
His colleagues also taught him how to be efficient, managing time without compromising quality. James was nervous when he learned he would participate in the WorldSkills ASEAN tilt, but he was excited, too. "Can I make it? But I was also excited to mingle with others and learn their culture," he said. For James, the WorldSkills ASEAN was not just about competency, but also competing with world standards.
During the tilt, he said participants in the Industrial Control category worked on programming, assembling, and other tasks. "In this field, one needs to know how to make a soda machine, for example," he narrated. Joining the competition, James said, made him realize that he could do things without the help of others. "It also taught me that when under pressure, one needs to take a short break before resuming work," he noted. James said he also realized that the competition did not just enhance his technical skills, but also his personal skills as he learned how to deal with other people.
James' advice for other youths is to get out of their comfort zone. In building their career, it would also be helpful to have tech-voc education and secure NCs, he said. "Companies look for competencies, and the way to prove it is through the NC," he said. Upskilling is important, James pointed out. Gold medalists in the ASEAN WorldSkills have received PHP100,000 from TESDA.
