Capitol Enables Out-Of-School Youth for Employment
The Cebu Provincial Government, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), has been training out-of-school youth (OSY) to prepare them for employment through training and financial assistance.
The Capitol launched the technical-vocational training program in 2015, of which a total of 637 OSY were trained.
This year, the PSWDO is targeting 500 trainees from 20 local government units (LGUs) in the province.
“Since 2015 until now, ang gitagaan og priority sa PSWDO ang mga marginalized. Ang priority sa program kay katong mga out-of-school-youth (Since 2017 until now, the PSWDO has prioritized the marginalized sector. The program prioritizes out-of-school youth),” said PSWDO Tech-Voc Program coordinator Rio Abarquez.
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 as of February 2016 revealed that there are more OSY in Cebu, totaling to 315,870, more than the 83,309 who are in school.
The Capitol-initiated training program offers Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) courses in line with top generating jobs as recommended by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). These are shielded metal arc welding NC II, housekeeping NCII, food and beverage service NCII, RAC Servicing (domestic refrigeration and air-conditioning) NCII, and computer systems servicing.
To increase youth participation, the Capitol also encouraged LGUs to extend this program to remote and upland barangays. A pre-employment financial assistance fund (PEAF) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will also be given to the graduates of the tech-voc program to aid the graduates in accomplishing pre-employment requirements, such as birth certificate, passport, and barangay and NBI clearances.
“The First month after graduation is critical. The graduates can receive up to P5,000 financial assistance funded by the DSWD,” said Christian John Tanduyan, PSWDO Youth Program coordinator.
www.cebu.gov.ph
