A daughter of a tricycle driver in Butuan City is now assured of a job after she completed the six-month training on hotel and resort service at the Bluewater Academy in Lapu-Lapu City.
The Bluewater Academy held its 1st commencement exercises last Thursday at the function room of Maribago Bluewater Resort for the first batch of 20 graduates with 19-year-old Nikka Marie Rivas, the daughter of a tricycle driver, at the top of the graduating class.
Rivas is the second of three siblings. Her older brother is in third year high school while the youngest is in Grade 3.
After she graduated from high school, Rivas wanted to take up Accountancy but her father couldn’t afford to send her to college. Her aunt who works in a Bluewater property in Butuan City told her to avail of the free training on hotel and resort service with free board and lodging initiated by the Maribago Bluewater Resort. Rivas took the exam and passed.
The training started in September last year at the Maribago beach resort in Lapu-Lapu City. The trainees stayed in a separate building called the “Blue House,” where they observed house rules. Two were not able to finish the training after breaking house rules, bringing the number of trainees down to 20.
Julie Vergara, president of Bluewater Properties, said the free training is part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), “We have long been dreaming of this but we just set this aside due to some circumstances. Finally, we made it. We are very happy to have it realized.”
Vergara said that the hotel and resort service is very much in demand these days, especially with the growing tourism industry in the country.
All the 20 graduates will be hired by the Bluewater Properties, either in Butuan City; Sumilon Island in Oslob town, southern Cebu; Bohol; and Lapu-Lapu City.
Vergara said they also partnered with the Provincial Information Office in the selection of the beneficiaries of their training, giving priority to poor but deserving students.
Dr. Mon Melgar, Academy head, said they are now working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) in order for the graduates to receive a Tesda certificate, which they can use if they want to apply to other hotels and resorts.
Melgar said that every year, they will select 25 students living near their properties as beneficiaries of their training.
Meanwhile, Rivas said she is planning to pursue her college studies while working at the Bluewater properties for a better chance of promotion and then contribute financially to her siblings’ education.