Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz led on Monday the graduation ceremony for the 120 Quezon City youth who have completed an eight-day life skills training program to increase their level of competency and competitiveness in the labor market.
In her speech, Baldoz urged the graduates – many of them unemployed — to maximize the opportunity given to them, which she said, can be used as their entry point to the actual job world. “Being job ready is the key to the employment world,” Baldoz said.
City administrator Aldrin C. Cuña and QC public employment services office chief Carlo Magno Abella assisted Secretary Baldoz in the awarding the certificates of completion to the graduates, who belonged to the second batch of beneficiaries for the JobStart program, an employment facilitation initiative launched in Quezon City by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in August last year.
“The JobStart program complemented the employment agenda of the city government as it provides assistance to the city’s unemployed youth,” Cuña said.
The training program, conducted at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, was facilitated by the Institute for Integrality.
To date, Quezon City hosts the biggest contingent of JobStart graduates since the program was launched last year, according to Secretary Baldoz. “JobStart graduates have an 80% hiring rate from employers,” she said.
Aside from Quezon City , JobStart, which is being funded by the Canadian Government and administered through the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has already been pilot-tested in San Fernando , Pampanga; Taguig City and General Trias, Cavite .
ABD was represented during the occasion by its director, Kelly Bird. On the other hand, the Canadian Embassy in Manila was represented by senior program officer Narcisa Rivera.
After completing the life skills training program, beneficiaries may now proceed to undergo technical training and internship.
During the internship, program beneficiaries shall be provided with a daily allowance of P300. A stipend equivalent to at least 75% of the prevailing minimum wage shall be given during the on-the-job training or internship, which can run for at least six months.
Employers, once engaged by Jobstart, will also be receiving subsidy of up to P9,000 per intern for their participation in the program while given the chance to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility by helping young people become job ready.
Posted By: Edrillan Pasion
