FU Inaugurates TechVoc Training Center
Grounding its mission in the theme, “Building Skills. Creating Opportunities. Empowering Futures,” Foundation University (FU) officially inaugurated and blessed its brand-new TechVoc Training Center yesterday afternoon, September 9, 2026, at 2:00 PM.
Located at the FU Demonstration Farm in Barangay Azagra, Tanjay City, the modern facility marks a pivotal milestone for the institution. The center is purposefully designed to bridge the gap between traditional classroom learning and hands-on, practical expertise, significantly expanding the university's footprint in technical education and community empowerment.
The inaugural ceremony opened with a solemn invocation and official blessing of the building led by University Minister Rev. Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela. Dean Jobert Klein Koerkamp of the College of Agriculture, one of the primary institutional beneficiaries of the new training center, welcomed the attendees with opening remarks. Following him, Kinaadman Institute for Executive and Professional Development Director Richie Bungart outlined the technical specifications and the strategic vision driving the center forward.
Foundation University President Victor Vicente “Dean” Sinco delivered an inspiring address detailing the land's rich history and unveiling upcoming developments slated for the FU Demonstration Farm. The newly built center is situated on a 33-hectare property steeped in historical and institutional significance. The land was part of the inheritance of Foundation University’s visionary founder, Dr. Vicente Guzman Sinco. While the property once operated as a bustling sugarcane plantation, cultivation ceased roughly 15 years ago.
Since then, the university has repurposed the vast estate into a dynamic, multi-use asset that blends educational development with agricultural production, including a flourishing chico orchard. Remarkably, construction of the state-of-the-art facility took only four months to complete, highlighting the university’s rapid deployment of resources to bring accessible technical education to local communities.
The event culminated in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting. Joining President Sinco were University Chancellor Dr. Charlotte Cariño, Director Bungart, Dean Koerkamp, President Emeritus Dr. Mira Sinco, and Senior TESD Specialist Jicyl Ann Anguring.
The launching of the TechVoc facility is only the first phase of a grander vision for the FU Demonstration Farm in Tanjay. To enhance site accessibility for future trainees and partners, work is underway to construct a new concrete access road.
With the ribbon cut and the facility formally blessed, the Foundation University TechVoc Training Center stands ready to equip and empower the next generation of skilled professionals and lifelong learners in Negros Oriental.
This milestone directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), most notably SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Through standards-driven vocational training and close alignment with national agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the center ensures inclusive, accessible, and high-impact educational opportunities that prepare students for competitive global employment.
