DOLE, DTI Bring Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan to LGUs

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held a joint assembly recently for the deployment of the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) initiative to the local government units.

The assembly was an offshoot of the employment summit held last December when the Blueprint for Decent Employment and Entrepreneurship 2017-2022 was crafted and signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, together with representatives from the industry, academe, and other national government agencies.

“We need regional action plans to localize the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan blueprint. We must ensure that local government units are able to participate in its implementation. This undertaking will give face to the concept of whole-of-government approach to governance. And this is our way of helping the President attain his socio-economic agenda for the Filipino people,” Bello said.

The labor chief also said that since the inception of the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan initiative, a total of 84 TNK job and business fairs were mounted nationwide.

The fairs gained support from 2,047 participating employers which offered more than 360,000 jobs.

About 91,600 job applicants trooped to the TNK sites. Of this number, a little over 9,100 were hired-on-the-spot; 1,220 have been referred to DTI for business opportunities and advice; and about 2,000 for skills training at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

To further realize the agenda of bringing employment and entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, one of the identified TNK strategies is the localization of job and livelihood fair programs.

This is in recognition of the fact that local government units (LGUs) know best the challenges in their respective areas.

Thus, during the one-day activity, DOLE and DTI regional directors and participants developed the TNK Localization and Joint Action Plan 2017-2022 as well as the 2017 calendar of events that would translate the TNK Blueprint into programs, activities, and projects toward the attainment of objectives on employment generation.

The Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan menu of activities include the TNK regional summit; job fairs; training/workshops; as well as employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood seminars. (DOLE / aldm)