JobStart expanded to Cebu, 5 more areas
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jeruel Roa (right) welcomes President Benigno Aquino III (right) at the MCCCI booth of the May 1 Jobstart exhibit at the J Centre Mall.
Two hundred high school graduates in Cebu City will benefit from a government program to help the youth develop technical and life skills vital to success.
The JobStart Philippines program is being expanded to cover Cebu City and at least five more areas. A forum attended by President Benigno S.C. Aquino III was held on May 1 to launch the program in Cebu.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz said the program will also be rolled out in Davao City, Tagum City, Bohol, Mandaluyong City and Pasay City. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has signed agreements with the local governments in these areas.
“Soon, we’ll be signing a MOA (memorandum of agreement) with Valenzuela City and Bulacan City,” said Kelly Bird, Asian Development Bank (ADB) director for public management in Southeast Asia.
JobStart is a joint project of DOLE, ADB and Canadian International Development Authority (CIDA).
Under this program, the government partners with employers that offer six-month internships at reduced cost to high school graduates. An intern gets a stipend equivalent to 75 percent of the minimum wage.
Youths, aged 18 to 24, undergo life skills training and career guidance before they are referred to employers. They then undergo a three-month technical/vocational training as determined by their employers before their on-the-job training for another three months. Employers get a training fee of up to P9,000 per internship.
“The beneficiaries will have the career guidance and life skills training for eight days. It includes modules on personal branding, financial literacy, health and well-being, job hunting skills and interpersonal skills,” Baldoz said.
PILOT
The program was piloted in Quezon City, San Fernando in Pampanga, Taguig City and General Trias in Cavite.
“The Jobstart Philippines started last year and has benefited 1,453 out-of-school youth. Two hundred of them are already working in our partner companies in the four pilot areas,” Baldoz said in the forum.
President Aquino arrived to tour several booths at the exhibit area for half an hour before going to his next appointment at the University of Cebu Medical Center (UCMed).
Bird said the Canadian government allocated $4 million for the project.
As early as November last year, he said they were already seeing positive outcome from the program.
“We conducted a midterm assessment of the project and found out that the employer and the beneficiaries both think the program is very effective. Most of the companies end up absorbing them as regular employees,” he said.
There were 80 partner companies in the pilot areas. The firms are engaged in services, manufacturing, outsourcing, hospitality and medical sectors.
He said they aim to add 14 local government partners this year. DOLE wants to expand the program to 10 to 20 more areas a year.
Baldoz said the program is in line with the administration’s thrust to invest in the country’s human resources and lower the unemployment and underemployment rates in the country.
“While in the past, the highest appropriation of budget goes to military spending and payment of our debts, the administration has shifted its focus to health, education and social services to ensure that we have a population that is job-ready, employable and competitive,” Baldoz said.
DOLE regional director Exequiel Sarcauga said JobStart is a very effective tool to match skills and industry requirements.It also helps alleviate poverty by providing jobs to out-of-school youths.
Other programs of DOLE include the Special Program for Employment of Students which now has a budget of almost half a billion, the Government Internship Program for those who want to start a career in the government, and Training for Work Scholarship of TESDA or the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and Assist WELL (Welfare, Employment, Livelihood and Legal Assistance) for overseas Filipinos who want to come home and work here.
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