Moving up from Underground to Maintstream Economy

I would like to begin by thanking each one of you for making the
Student Technologists and Entrepreneurs of the Philippines or STEP
a living organization and program under the Technology and Livelihood
Education or TLE of the MAKABAYAN with your enthusiastic presence
here in this STEP National Skills Development and Competition.

 I am also happy to know that the elementary level is actively engaged
in the STEP program. By next year, we plan to fully involve the elementary
level by slowly establishing STEP organizations in the Elementary schools,
increasing the skills up for competition commensurate to that in the secondary
level and expanding their participation in every aspect of the STEP program.

Indeed, STEP, as our organization and program, has made significant headway albeit slowly and surely. In about five years, we have seen the growth of STEP and instituted our own standards for skills competitions. From a small number of skills up for grabs in the national level competitions, we slowly increase to about 36 this years. From a small number of believers and beneficiaries, we have more than enough to get this program going for years. From only the secondary level, we have extended our reach to the elementary level.

Truly, STEP is made of simple and concrete steps the serve as incubator of and escalators to bigger dreams and successes. Our history clearly attests to this feat.

The simple and concrete steps consist of various skills that we strive to develop in our students who excel in technical and vocational education. Slowly as they may seem, these technical and vocational skills are what make great entrepreneurs. These steps are also made of every support, big or small, which each one give to the program, to the various competitions, to every teacher, and to every students. More importantly, there steps are composed of your commitment to further skills development in the grassroots that translate to bigger and better opportunities.

This is why it is just appropriate that our theme or this years skills competitions is STEP Moving up from underground (School and Backyard) to Mainstream Economy.’ It reverberates the idea of moving up, taking charge and being in the forefront of our organization. It challenges us to leave our comfort zones and take on the bitter risks in order to improve and develop. It tells us to come out of our shelters and show to the world what we can do to our country. I am convinced that the STEP is one way to move up and forward as it gives our students, who are better inclined to technical and vacations skills, every opportunity to develop and be active contributors in nation-building. It does not discriminate against ones career options, nor does it color one’s choices blue to be separated from the white, instead, STEP strives to put the blue in equal balance with the white. It is putting those in home economics, those in agriculture technology, those in industrial arts and those in entrepreneurship at par with the so-called professionals. There is no other way but to STEP forward ad move up. There is no other choice but to improve. In this edition of the 5th STEP national Skills Development and Competition, we strived to set in place standards and measure to ensure the integrity of the contests and set the bar of competitions higher that before. We added features such as the STEP awards to recognize outstanding contributions in the development of the STEP as a program and as an organization and to give incentives to outstanding achievement in the different component areas of Technology and Livelihood Education.