From Skills to Startups: UDM’s Free Bread and Pastry Training Empowers SAP Beneficiaries Toward Sustainable Livelihood

In alignment with SDG 1 – No Poverty and SDG 4 – Quality Education, the Universidad de Manila (UDM), through its Center for Microcredentialing and Industry Training, continues to transform lives through its Bread and Pastry Production – Batch 2 Program, held at the Manila Youth Reception Center.

This free vocational training program not only equips participants with baking and confectionery skills but also opens pathways to financial and entrepreneurial empowerment, particularly for Social Amelioration Program (SAP) beneficiaries seeking sustainable means of livelihood.

Under UDM’s Local Start-Up Financial Assistance initiative, program graduates are encouraged and supported in establishing home-based microbusinesses and cooperative enterprises. Participants who received SAP support were guided in leveraging their financial aid to start small bakery ventures, demonstrating how social assistance can evolve into long-term economic empowerment.

The initiative underscores the University’s broader mission of uplifting communities through skills development and enterprise creation. By integrating vocational education with entrepreneurship support, UDM provides a bridge from learning to earning, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for inclusive growth and social mobility.

Through initiatives like this, UDM reaffirms its commitment to accessible education, livelihood empowerment, and community resilience, ensuring that opportunities for self-sufficiency extend to all sectors of society.