ERDA TECH Foundation, Inc. was established by Fr. Pierre Tritz, S.J. in 1991 as his response to the worsening problem of poverty and unemployment in the Philippines. It is duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on January 29, 1993 as a non-stock, non-profit technical and vocational educational and training institution serving the socially disadvantaged youth of Metro Manila. It is the first in the Philippines to offer a five-year high school curriculum with a dual training system. The curriculum exposes the students to the regular academic high school courses required by DepEd and to intensive job preparation that includes in-plant training and work ethics training. In 2008, the school was adopted by Xavier School which resulted in significant changes and improvements insuring the future of the school beyond the lifetime of its founder. For the past 20 years, ERDA Tech has been faithful in its mission of educating and training less fortunate Filipino youth. Its objective then, and now, is to produce high school graduates for immediate employment as skilled workers. With the advent of DepEd’s K to 12 basic education program, ERDA Tech has decided to focus on poor but deserving Senior High School students beginning school year 2016-2017 interested in pursuing the Technical-Vocational track, and prepare them to qualify upon graduation, for immediate employment as skilled workers equipped with the desired competencies and work values. Its main office is located at Certeza cor. Lorenzo dela Paz Sts., Brgy. 839, Zone 91, 6th District, Pandacan, Manila. The foundation has 27 regular staff (17 academic and 10 non-academic), 5 full-time seconded staff from Xavier School, 1 volunteer, 2 retainer basis and 15 members of the Board of Trustees.
It was first certified for 5 years on April 25, 2003 which ended on April 24, 2008. First Renewal was certified for 3 years on August 10, 2014 and which will end on November 4, 2016.
Its purposes, among others, are, “a technical vocational high school for the less fortunate youth which seeks to form its students into becoming God-loving, highly skilled, self-sufficient and socially responsible citizens; to provide disadvantaged youth with quality tech-voc high school education and training, preparing them for work after graduation equipped with employable technical skills, sound academic training and Christian values; and to expose and prepare students to the alternative option of immediate employment after high school by gearing education to work. The foundation’s programs now offering Senior High School Diploma focused on the Tech-Voc track on emerging technologies in line with the K-12 Philippine Educational Reform.
