PBEd, USAID partner with DSWD for youth skills training program

MANILA, Philippines — A business-led education advocacy group is partnering with the Northern Mindanao unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide free skills training and job opportunities to unemployed and out-of-school-youths in the region.

In a statement yesterday, Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said its YouthWorks PH program, which is in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is collaborating with the DSWD-Region X office.

It said the partnership aims to build on existing government programs on social protection and human capital development in line with the priorities of the Philippine Development Plan.

“This collaboration will allow target beneficiaries from DSWD Region X’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as well as children in conflict with the law (CICL) who are currently at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth to access free online mentoring, technical-vocational learning and work-based training provided by YWPH partners,”PBEd said.

The DSWD will provide employment facilitation grants worth P5,000 for every employed youth under the Sustainable Livelihood Program.

This year, YouthWorks PH aims to forge more partnerships with other DSWD regional offices to be able to reach out to more vulnerable youths around the country.

“Our mission in YouthWorks PH is to bring everyone together in the government, industry, and academe to invest in the youth and future workforce. May this spark further support and interest from every regional office in DSWD so that we may empower more youth to reach their full potential through gainful and meaningful employment,” Peñaflor said.

YouthWorks PH is a workforce development project of PBEd and USAID.

It aims to make education and training more responsive to the needs of the economy by working with the government, industry, and academe to provide opportunities to youth, not in education, employment, or training.

Since its launch in 2018, YouthWorks PH has inked partnership agreements with over 95 partners from the private sector, civil society, and government, and has helped around 5,000 youths, with 61 percent of its graduates directly employed by partner companies of the project.