LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The provincial government-funded Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC) will start offering training programs in April under its Center for Livelihood and Learning in preparation for its first official academic year in August.
Vice Governor Mark Lambino, in an interview on Tuesday, also said the rehabilitation of the buildings will begin in February.
The school, which has an initial approved budget of PHP30 million for this year and is located at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here, will offer agri-business, agri-engineering, and vocational courses.
“We’ve started the rehabilitation of the buildings that would be used by the PPC. The old Ricafort building is now being renovated to become the Center for Lifelong Learning while the YDC building is being converted to be the first campus of the PPC. It can accommodate the initial operations of the PPC,” he said.
Lambino said PPC is the first college fully owned and run by a provincial government in the Ilocos Region, and will offer full scholarships.
He said they are looking into the possibility of offering a nursing program this year or in 2025, depending on the issuance of the accreditation by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“Pangasinan’s economy is 70 percent on agriculture, so we have to find opportunities for our province mates. Many mainstream institutions are offering mainstream courses but there are shortages when it comes to development of agriculture in the province. But we will be offering mainstream courses like nursing, and looking at education in one or two years,” he said.
Lambino said the PPC will not be exclusive for students from Pangasinan only.
The governing board is headed by Governor Ramon Guico III as chair while the PPC president serves as vice chair.
Members of the Board include the chair of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) Committee on Education, provincial administrator, CHED and Department of Agriculture regional directors, and representatives from the youth and private sectors.
The PPC was formalized through a local ordinance approved on June 26, 2023. (PNA)
