JobStart PH in Cebu Starts Rolling

Another job opportunity will be available for the Cebuano Youth. This as JobStart Philippines started its first stage of implementation in this Queen City of the Philippines.

JobStart Philippines is a partnership initiative by the Department of Labor and Employment or DOLE, Asian Development Bank, Canadian International Development Agency of the Government of Canada, and various local government units in the Philippines.

The program was successfully piloted in 2014 in the cities of Taguig, Quezon, San Fernando in Pampanga, and General Trias in Cavite. It aims to provide a full cycle employment bridging package to youth-beneficiaries including life skills training, accessible labor market information, career counseling, on-the-job training, and other employment facilitation services.

DOLE wanted the JobStart to be implemented in the cities of Pasay, Coloocan, Mandaluyong and Puerto Princesa in Luzon; in the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete and Bilar town in Bohol Province in Visayas; and in the cities of Davao, Tagum and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

Under the program, at least an initial 200 slots for youth beneficiaries from Cebu City is allocated by DOLE. Beneficiaries will receive stipends during the technical and life skills training and at least 75% of the city’s minimum wage from the employers during internship. It further aims to shorten school-to-work transition of unemployed youth from 2 to 4 years to only 6 to 9 months.

Looking back, the project was officially launched in Cebu last November 5, 2015 at the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu.

Mayor Michael Rama expressed optimism, support and even suggested to adopt the template of the JobStart program to the city government of Cebu, citing that the initial 200 slots for Cebu City is very minimal. He emphasized that to help the job-seekers you must have a pure heart that is the most important ingredient in human relations.

Rama stressed the importance of a People-Privately Driven Governance or PPDG for a fruitful undertaking in addressing the unemployment concern in the 80 barangays of the city thrust to the city’s DMDP.

Meanwhile, in today’s Consultative Meeting, at least 5 employers expressed support in the project which will cater the pioneering batch of JobStart Program
beneficiaries in this city.

DMDP chief Ma. Suzanne Ardosa pointed out, “We conducted a capability building for our personnel for the implementation of the JobStart program in Cebu City and series of consultation and follow-up consultative meeting with the employers,” adding that more details will be provided soon. (Cebu City Public Information Office PIO/Greggy Jiggs P. Senados)