San Jose Technical Center

San Jose Technical Center in Alto Trujillo

The San Jose Technical Center, founded by Sister Immaculata in 2003 in Alto Trujillo, is a training institute designed to teach skills that will enable participating adults to get jobs in their communities. 

The Center is currently teaching sewing and dress making, hair dressing, silk screening, and bakery skills. The sewing and bakery centers include production facilities in addition to classrooms. A 2nd floor expansion, completed in 2009, houses a computing center, shoe making (classes and production), cooking, and pastry making. The San Jose complex, which includes the Technical Center, a Children’s Library, and a Chapel, was built and is maintained with funds contributed by the Sisters of Mercy, The Father’s Table, the Parish of St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton, the Ray and Kay Eckstein Charitable Trust, Ministry of Good Shepherd donors, and a family in Ireland. 

Sister Immaculata says: 
We had a good year 2008 on the first floor! In all there were a total of 98 students. On the production level we made a fair share of uniforms etc. Bakery is going very well, ten employed, two bakers and an assistant, a woman in the shop, administrator, and five sellers on the streets. We made lots of panettones for Christmas and our oven was used by lots of families for their Christmas bird. 

During 2008 we began building the second floor and now have a really fine Centre. The new building includes a production room for sewing, a room to teach cooking, a classroom for computers, and one for shoe-making which is a big industry in these parts. We also have a small room we hope to use for the services of a psychologist. We are confident that the University will give us one of their graduates who has to do “practicals.”