Insider Spotlight
The program allows trainees to complete TESDA-certified Slaughtering Operations and Retail Meat Cutting courses inside the country's first multi-meat Triple AAA-accredited facility, giving participants practical exposure to food safety, quality control, and commercial meat processing operations.
The big picture
The initiative brings together industry, government, and the academe to help address skills development needs in the livestock and meat-processing sector while preparing workers for employment opportunities across the value chain, the company said in a release.
Aboitiz Foods assistant technical director for meats operations Josh Douglas said the partnership reflects the company's commitment to investing in talent alongside infrastructure.
"Developing people is essential to building a stronger meat industry. By opening Tarlac Meatmasters for hands-on training, we hope to give aspiring professionals the opportunity to build practical skills while learning the discipline and food safety practices that define our operations. Through partnerships like this, we aim to contribute to a stronger talent pipeline for the Philippine meat industry," Douglas said.
Unlike conventional classroom-based courses, trainees rotate through active production areas, including lairage, slaughter and meat-cutting rooms, and chilled storage facilities to experience day-to-day meat processing operations.
Why it matters
Tarlac Meatmasters also serves as a learning facility alongside its commercial operations. The site holds Triple AAA accreditations covering its slaughterhouse, meat cutting plant, and cold storage warehouse, underscoring its food safety and operational standards.
IVTSI president and CEO Roy Aldous Bautista said combining the school's TESDA-aligned curriculum with Pilmico's integrated agribusiness operations gives students exposure to industry practices that improve their competitiveness in both local and overseas markets.
Following the pilot run, Pilmico and IVTSI aim to train up to 50 participants by the end of the year, expanding access to industry-recognized skills and National Certificate II credentials.
The bottom line
Former sales executive John Kenneth Onofre said training at Tarlac Meatmasters provided the hands-on experience missing from his previous butchery course.
He said he had previously enrolled in a butchery course at another training school, but it was mostly classroom-based and offered little hands-on training.
Onofre expressed gratitude for the opportunity to train at Pilmico's Triple A-accredited facility, where participants were able to observe the entire production process firsthand and gain valuable practical experience.
The collaboration forms part of Aboitiz Foods' broader effort to strengthen the Philippine food value chain by expanding technical education opportunities and developing a skilled workforce for the country's agribusiness sector. —Princess Daisy C. Ominga | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
