BMW Exec Cited by TESDA

Joel Villanueva

MANILA, Philippines—The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) cited on Wednesday a luxury car manufacturing company executive for helping produce world-class automobile technicians.

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva awarded BMW-Asia senior vice president for special projects Kay Segler with a special citation for his contribution to the country’s technical-vocational education and training (TVET).

In a simple ceremony held at the Tesda Women’s Center in Taguig City, Villanueva said that Segler’s contribution and invaluable support had provided world-class training for TVET trainees in automobile technology.

According to the Tesda chief, “Dr. Segler deserves the accolade for leading the way in involving BMW through its support for advanced training modules and providing access to the company’s innovations and technologies…[in producing] top-level technicians with competencies at par with international standards.”

Segler, who is in charge of expanding BMW operations in the Asian region, has come up with programs providing TVET to aspiring automotive mechanics and for being instrumental to the establishment of the Jose Ch. Alvarez (JCA) technology complex in 2012.

The JCA technology complex within the Xavier University compound in Cagayan de Oro City imparts BMW automotive technological innovations to Tesda students in Northern Mindanao.

Villanueva said that the training complex “adopts BMW’s standards to maximize the learning experience of the students in the automotive, computer, electronics and mechanical courses” which would keep their skills at par with automotive workers in other countries.

“We need more executives like Dr. Segler, a friend of tech-voc, who can harmonize business with social responsibility,” the Tesda director general concluded.