In Visayas-Mindanao: DOLE extends employment program

CEBU, Philippines - The youth in Cebu will now have a better opportunity of landing a job as the Department of Labor and Employment's employment facilita-tion program expands to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Suzanne Ardosa, chief of the Department of Manpower Development and Placement, said they are very grateful for the JobStart program as it could really help the youth, especially high school graduates who cannot afford to study college.

JobStart Philippines, a program of DOLE and its partners- the Asian Development Bank and the government of Canada, was launched in 2014 and hopes to address job-skill matching and youth employment challenges in the country.

Ardosa said this program gives the youth ages 18 to 24 the opportunity to acquire additional life skills and technical training through an internship program that will help them to be employed regularly.

The program borrows good practices in full-cycle employment facilitation service from Kenya, Chile, and the United Kingdom.

Those qualified for the program includes those who are not enrolled in school or any other training programs and those who are not employed.

"Para naa sad silay work experience para ma-enhance ang ilang employability or modako ang ilang chance nga masud gyud sila sa regular nga trabaho kay naa man sila dugang nga makat-onan unya naa na sila'y actual experience sa work," said Ardosa.

She, though, said they might accept college graduates, provided that they are not enrolled in another course and has no working experience.

Ardosa explained that the JobStart project will cover the expenses for the training of the qualified job seekers, as well as for their basic needs, such as fare for transportation.

She said the difference between life skills training and technical training is that the former is more on the attitude of the applicant towards work or applying for work while the technical aspect is more on the nature of work.

"You know it's something nga based on study, mas dako ang factor nga maayo ilang performance kung ang ilang attitude towards work ma-develop sad," said Ardosa.

Ardosa said they will start accepting registrations in their office next week for the program, which is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Two hundred slots will be opened for the program and in two batches. (FREEMAN)