Brief History

The idea of putting up an institution propped during one casual conversation among close friends talking about daring challenges. At first, the concept was considered a “foolish joke”, considering the financial status of each one. However, it was taken seriously after each member reflected that, with their educational background and working experiences, each could play a major role in the management of one educational institution. Indeed, with mere guts and modest capital, the group has complied with the requirements of the Security and Exchange Commission-Baguio Branch to register the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) as a corporation on April 6, 1993 and incidentally making it the “first private educational institution of higher learning in the BIMAK provinces!”

The operation of CCDC started during the summer term of 1993 in rented classrooms of the Pelizloy Centrum at Km. 5, La Trinidad, Benguet with 59 students enrolled in modular computer courses, review class for the NTC examination, a typing class and remedial classes for grade school pupils in reading, writing and arithmetic.

Enrollment during the start of School Year of 1993-94 was a little more than 100 students during the first semester and increased to more that 200 during the second semester in the various programs: Auto-Diesel Technology, modular classes in computer, Pre-school and Midwifery. The first graduation exercise was held at the Benguet Capitol Auditorium featuring those in the modular courses in computer and in the Pre-school.

Amazingly, with the opening of additional programs, the enrollment during the start of School Year 1994-1995 rose to more than 500 and further increased to 870 college students during the second semester. The new courses then were the Graduate School, Dental Hygiene, Computer Secretarial, Computer Technology, Computer Technician, Auto-Diesel Technology and Bachelor of Arts. Out of this number, a total of 157 students were among the first graduates in 1995 from the following courses: One–year Computer Secretarial; Two-year Computer Technician; Two-year graduate Midwifery and modular courses in computer.

CCDC was first envisioned merely to be a Pre-elementary, review and modular computer center. However, with efficient leadership coupled with sufficient educational experiences and warm encouragement from the community elders, the plan has been altered to include grade school, secondary, technical-vocational, tertiary and yes, even graduate education courses and a College of law!

From then on, new programs were offered with the enrollment continuously increasing. The need for expansion was seen, hence, a three-story main building was constructed in a 2,500 lot area in Buyagan, Poblacion, La Trinidad in 1995. At present, the college has three buildings and a gymnasium constructed in a 5,500 sq.m lot and management is on the process negotiating the purchase of another 6,500 sq. m. lot located just adjacent to the present campus for its expansion project.
CCDC was not earlier meant to compete with older and bigger institutions but rather to complement and supplement their efforts in our common goal to educate our youth. However, because members of management have always kept in mind their responsibility to provide quality and relevant education, the performance of the institution’s graduates are now at par or equal, if not even better than, the graduates of other institutions.

CCDC continues to bloom in its student population coming from all over the region and continues to adhere to the primary goal of providing quality education to the Filipino Youth, particularly to the Cordilleran.