Testimonials

Having completed my Post-Graduate course / Live-In Caregiver Program at SICES Cebu was one great priceless experience. I didn't only develop Caregiving Skills but I also gained lasting friendships. SICES is a strong ground for learning and growing.  The Expertise and Passion of SICES teachers is the secret of the school's longevity. The faculty teaches not just from the Power of Knowledge but with the Power of Love. Their Passion became their Profession. Being a SICES student having exposed to the different level of my classmates' maturity was an enormous challenge. However, that challenge turned into a beautiful opportunity for personality growth & development.

Part of having landed in Ontario, Canada last 2011 is because of SICES Credibility. And I'm sure more SICES students will fulfill their dreams of going abroad because they got the Best in SICES.  I am now a citizen of Canada and married with one child.

I am Fe Cabañog Ferolin and this is my success story. Good day to each and everyone, hope this story of mine will give an inspiration to those who are determine and willing to become a Caregiver someday.

I worked at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center here in Cebu City, Philippines as a Pharmacy Clerk way back in 2017 as a job order employee. There was a time when President Duterte issued a certain memorandum of NO MORE CONTRACTUALIZATION OF EMPLOYEES and we the job order employees will be wiped out from work if we are not qualified for the position which requires a civil service eligibility of which we are having a difficulty of passing the Civil Service Examination. Since then I decided to seek for a school who could provide a scholarship program that fits the need of my company to become a permanent employee. Life was very difficult that time, I have to struggle because I am the bread winner of the family.  I looked for some information of where I can possibly avail a scholarship to study Caregiving NC II Course until I found out that SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. was one of the Technical Vocational Institution (TVI’s) given a slot by TESDA for their Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP)for Caregiving NC II Course. I was very happy that time that I was given a slot as one of the 25 scholars for the first batch of TWSP scholars to study Caregiving NC II Course at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. I was so blessed that the Caregiving NC II Course was offered for FREE because it gives me a good chance to apply soon at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center as a Nursing Attendant which does not require any Civil Service Eligibility. I have only to finished my Caregiving NC II Course and with my NC II Certificate I will be given the opportunity to become a permanent employee. I am so happy and overwhelmed being a part of the first 25 scholars.

It is not easy to juggle school and work, and I find it difficult to manage. Examinations, Institutional Assessment, On the Job training and other activities makes me feel like that I can’t handle it anymore.  But because I am surrounded by wonderful educators who taught me to fight all the hardships and difficulties that burdens me, I manage to do it until the finish line. The support and advices they rendered on me was the best weapon I used in order to obtained the victory. Time flies so fast Graduation came and I am proud to be a part of SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. first TWSP graduates in 2018. I felt relieved this time and I would like to say a MIILION TIMES, THANK YOU SO MUCH TESDA and SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC., for the generosity for MAKING MY DREAMS through the TWSP Scholarship Program possible. Without you and your unconditional support to me, I am nothing. I also thank God that He gave me these two wonderful mentor mam Amor and sir Ronald for heading me to the right direction of my journey. Thank you so much. I am now a permanent employee of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center as a Nursing Attendant.

My story begins with a dream for myself and the goal to help my family in terms of financial matters. I am just one of the millions of Filipinos who dreamt of going abroad and have a better life not just for myself but as well as for my family too. It has been a mindset to all of us that there are bigger opportunities that await abroad than in our own country. I really didn't plan on my journey, but it just happened all the way. From being a student taking business courses, then deciding to stop in order to take a course in caregiving, until I got my permanent residency in Canada and soon to be a citizen. I consider all my life experiences as a blessing. A blessing in a way, God has planned everything for me and I just have to trust the process. I guess self-belief and hard work will always lead to your success, like every movie we watched, it involves many crew and bloopers behind it. My family, friends and the people who have helped and believed in me throughout the journey. SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. opened the doors for my dreams. They lead me to where I am today. Being a student of this prestigious institution is one of the countless blessings I have received in my life. With their help and guidance, going to Canada becomes a lot easier for me. Actually, the experience is one of the beautiful things that happened in my journey. I gained friends who shared the same goals and dreams with me which then eventually turned into a family.  This is what I love about SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC., "You are one as a family". All the lessons that I’ve learned from them was a great help to me here in Canada. This school molded me to what I am today. My dreams come true and I was able to achieve the things that I want in life. I am proud of myself and I am always thankful that SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. has been part of this successful journey of mine.

Now, I have provided a better life to my family and to myself too. Aside from working, I am taking Accounting and Finance courses here Canada in order to have a better life. I realized that everything, including the happenings, have a purpose that leads me to the right path. I took this right path and enjoyed every journey of mine, because LIFE is so BEAUTIFUL. And for all of this I am very grateful to my Alma Mater the SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC.

This is a narration of how my life evolves while I was a student and a full-time provider. I am Nieva O. Caliso, 47 years old, residing at San Jose Purok 3, Cebu City.  Let me give you a brief background of myself before I became a student.  I am a mother of 5 children, 4 girls and 1 boy with 2 grandsons.  My husband work as a Barangay Tanod at Barangay San Jose, Cebu City and as a freelance painter at the same time.  Before I became a student, my job was a freelance processor of Electrical and Building Permits.  It is a very exhausting job, as a processor you have to do your best to find a customer.  Everyday I went to the City Hall to make follow ups for the documents that I submitted.  In every client I have different experiences. There are clients who are too bossy or have lots of complaints or always in a hurry which makes my work more exhausting. I’ve been into this job for quite a long time.  The hardest part of being a freelance document processor is the fact that I don’t have a regular and stable income but being paid more sometimes was one experience that I considered a lucky day for me in a very rare situation.

But as time went by, I’ve been thinking of looking for a job that will give me a regular and stable income since my children are having more expenses for their schooling.  I have daughters who are already in college and senior high school.  Both of them are scholars yet there are expenses that I have to provide like their everyday allowances, books, and other miscellaneous expenses.  That’s the time when I finally decided that I should get a stable job, but in my mind, I was thinking how can I get one when I didn’t finish my studies.

Luckily, one of my sisters who was a recipient of TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) for Caregiving NC II at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC.gave me an idea about the said Scholarship Program and with no hesitation it pushes me to apply.After a series of examinations and interviews conducted by the school I was chosen as one of the lucky recipients of the 3^rd Batch of TESDA’s TWSP Scholars at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC.

Looking back as a student, I have a lot of challenges that I faced like monetary considerations regarding my daily expenses such as meal and transportation allowances in order for me to sustain my studies. The most challenging part that I have encountered was when I have to adjust to the environment of being a student. At first, I have a hard time adjusting and it was very stressful.  I am matured in age and eventually memory gap was a factor that I considered a little bit disadvantage on my part in absorbing the lessons.  But through the help of my classmates and professors I have coped up with it.  I strived hard to catch up with the pacing of my younger classmates.  Every time I got home, I have to prepare something for my family and study after that. It was very exhausting and there were times when I was about to give up but everytime I look back to my experiences of my hard work and failures, I suddenly become motivated and thankful for a once in a lifetime opportunity of being a TWSP scholar.

And now I could say that all of my hard work and prayers were answered.Presently,I am working as regular Nursing Assistant at St. Vincent General Hospital here in Cebu City, Philippines, a job that provides me with a fixed and stable income that I could support to my family’s daily needs.

I have realized that if you are determined, motivated to do your job well and have faith in God, you can achieve something for yourself.  If there are opportunities that comes in your way, you should grab and hold tight on it until you achieved your longings in life that you dream of.

It was year 1997 when I joined SICES PHILIPPINES CEBU INC. now SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. as a trainee and then I was hired as one of the facilitators where I stayed for 10 years. It took me also 10 years to get an employer in Canada.

I received my visa on January 28, 2008 and flew to Canada the following month leaving my children with my parents. My first job was a nanny to 3 children for 2 years. When my contract ended, I worked as a live-in caregiver for an elderly person for 2 yrs. When she died, I found another elderly person where I worked for her for 5 years until she died. The family treated me well that up to this day I am working for them part time and at the same time I have a full-time job as a Health Care Assistant in one of the facilities in North Vancouver. My children joined me here on July 1, 2014.

Hello, my name is Analisa Raga. I graduated from SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC.in 2006. I arrived here in Vancouver, B.C. on February 2007. Choosing to study at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. helped me fulfill my dream of coming to Canada. The instructors were very supportive and very good. Special mentions: Miss Amor and Sir Ronald. They helped me until the very end. I have referred three of my nieces to also study at SICES. And now, all three of them are also here in Canada, due to the help of the SICES staff.

Now I am happily living in Vancouver, Canada with my family as Canadian citizens.

Fighting the feeling of emptiness, it really implicates in but when determination and courage that sinks in our mind everything became possible. I am Charen Avila together with me are my two sisters Charlyn Villarin and Charame Villarin the three of us had a different endeavor that we committed in order to achieved our dreams. We were former students of SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. Charlyn was the first one who studied her Caregiving NC II Course and completed it, followed by Charame. It’s been a while that I’ve made a decision to travel for work because I have my family with me and I am a teacher. But thinking for the future of my children I did. I started schooling my Caregiving NC II Course at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. Last April 2017 and completed the course on November 2017. I’ve belonged to the evening class at that time, travelling all night long from Carcar City to Cebu City from school to school because I am teacher during the day and a student at the night.

But the Mentor of SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. were so considerate and understanding. In my caregiving course it helps me recognize some skills that I’ve never been done before, but it was enhanced at the said institution through the aid and steer of Sir Ronald S. Ledesma and Miss Amor D. Venturillo. When I started processing my papers in applying for my dream to be here in Canada Miss Amor and Sir Ronald were eminent help to me, I’ve never been in doubt of asking aid with them.

With their assistance to me and to my two sisters all of are here in Canada already for good and my family is coming soon. Thank you so much SICES.

I’m Rodelyn Linamas one of TESDA’s Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) Scholar at SICES INSTITUTE OF HEALTHCARE AND VOCATIONAL STUDIES INC. Batch 2. I’m so happy and very proud to be a part of SICES Family because they molded me so well in taking care of an elderly, special children and the sick people. I learned so many things at SICES and I’m very thankful to TESDA who gave the TWSP Scholarship and to Miss Amor and Sir Ronald for teaching me all the knowledge and skills of becoming a Caregiver of Passion and Love, without you I’m not here, where I am today. Now I’m working in one of the biggest hospital in Cebu City, Philippines.