DOLE, ADB, Pasay start paid training program for jobseekers

MANILA – Job hunters in Pasay City will benefit from a technical skills training program that will boost their chances to find employment.

In partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Asian Development Bank, the city’s Public Employment Services Office signed an agreement for JobStart Philippines program to enhance jobseekers’ credentials.

Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano Rubiano said the program will prepare the city’s young residents once they begin looking for jobs or those who simply want to become productive.

“Gusto po nating ihanda ang ating mga kabataan, lalo na iyong medyo naliligaw ng landas at mabigyan sila ng tsansa para sa mas tahimik at produktibong buhay at mamamayan ng lungsod (We want to prepare our youths, especially those who are a bit lost, and give them a chance to acquire a more peaceful and productive life as citizens of the city),” Rubiano said in a Viber message on Saturday.

“Gusto po nating mamuhunan sa ating mga kabataan at mabigyan sila ng sapat na kaalaman at karanasan upang sa ganoon ay maging mas madali silang makuha sa mga trabaho (We want to invest on our youth and give them enough knowledge and experience so they can easily get jobs),” she added.

Qualified beneficiaries will undergo life and technical skills training that will integrate them into the labor market.

Beneficiaries shall undergo four phases of training: client registration and client assessment, 10-day life skills training, technical training for a maximum period of three months, and internship, also for a maximum period of three months.

Beneficiaries will receive allowance and stipends throughout the program — PHP200 mobile data allowance, PHP300 daily allowance for the 10-day life skills training, and a Government Service Insurance System basic accident insurance.

They are also entitled to a PHP1,000 medical allowance, excluding a PHP5,000 allowance that they can use for Covid-19 swab tests, and a PHP500 stipend for security permits.

Beneficiaries will likewise get a technical training grant of up to PHP12,000, a daily stipend amounting to PHP300 for a maximum of 66 days during the technical training period, and an employer’s administration fee of PHP1,500 per month.

Residents aged 18 to 25 years old, college graduate or undergraduate, high school and senior high school graduates, and even out-of-school youths, may avail themselves of the program.

Rubiano said the program will be integrated into the Sulong Pasay initiative, a partnership between the city and the private sector to speed up economic revival.

“Malaki po ang aking paniniwala na hindi magtatagal ay magkakaroon ng economic boom dito sa lungsod dahil na rin sa tulong ng Sulong Pasay kaya ngayon pa lang ay inihahanda na natin ang ating mga kabataan (I strongly believe that soon, there will be an economic boom here in the city because of the help of Sulong Pasay, so we are preparing our youth),” she said.