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Two of the country’s best PESO sign up for JobStart Philippines held in Davao City

MANILA, April 20 (PNA) -- JobStart Philippines, the pioneering collaborative project which aims to ease youth unemployment, has reached the shores of Mindanao and is now being rolled out in the island’s largest city, Davao City, and in its neighboring urban enclave, Tagum City.

On Sunday, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz flew to Davao City and joined the Hon. Karlo B. Nograles, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor and Employment, to witness the signing of Memoranda of Agreement between JobStart Philippines, represented by the Bureau of Local Employment headed by Director Dominique R. Tutay, and the local chief executives (LCEs) of the two cities, Mayor Allan Rellon of Tagum City, and Atty. Dwight Howard representing Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City.

These two cities have been identified as JobStart partner-implementers in Mindanao basically because of their fully-capacitated and well-established Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs)—the PESOs of Tagum and Davao are institutionalized, well-acclaimed and multi-awarded—and the willingness of their LCEs to implement the JobStart program. Also, the two cities were chosen because of their high youth unemployment rates and both have significant presence of prospective employers.

In fact, 38 employers attended yesterday’s MOA signing and many of them already signified desire to sign-up for the program, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. JobStart Philippines is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and funded by the government of Canada.

ADB’s Director Kelly Bird was present to witness the MOA signing, held at Radisson’s Park Inn Hotel in Lanang, Davao City, and so were the officials of the DOLE Regional Office No. 11, lead by Assistant Regional Director Atty. Jason Balais, officer-in-charge, Ruth Rodriguez, chief of the BLE’s LMI division, and DOLE’s tripartite partners in the hospital, construction, and BPO sectors.

“Davao and Tagum Cities now join San Fernando City, Pampanga; Gen. Trias, Cavite; Taguig City; Quezon City; Bohol, and 11 other municipalities and cities all over the country which will run the JobStart’s full roll-out this year,” said Baldoz, who said launches are also being planned in the next month in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan and in five PESOs in the National Capital Region.

“This is the only program I know that while still being piloted—JobStart’s pilot run ends yet in June—cooperators, such as employers and LGUs are already signing-up. This is very exciting,” she added.

JobStart is full-cycle employment facilitation service that seeks to address youth unemployment by capacitating PESOs and helping youth beneficiaries jumpstart their careers by creating opportunities to improve their technical skills and develop their life skills necessary for success in today’s competitive workplace.

“With this program, we aim to increase the youth’s employability to 80 percent or higher and also shorten their school-to-work transition from two to four years to only six months or lower,” said Baldoz.

JobStart starts with the provision of career guidance through skills assessment, career and self-awareness, and career coaching. Following the assessment of a participant’s job readiness, he or she is provided with an eight-day life skills training designed to holistically hone the attitude and behavioural skills of the youth into a person well-prepared to face the challenges of the world of work.

“The completion of career guidance and life skills training enables the youth to be matched in jobs available in partner-employers for the technical training of up to three months, and an application of what has been acquired and learned through internship program for also up to three months,” Baldoz said.

Rep. Nograles, who had filed in February H.B. 5468, or “An Act Institutionalizing the Nationwide Implementation of JobStart Philippines Program and Providing Funds Therefor, Otherwise Known as the JobStart Act”, said he is convinced JobStart will serve as a tangible and sustainable answer towards providing inclusive development for our people through equality in employment opportunities.”

“The need to provide our country’s at-risk youth with the opportunity to become productive citizens and to be able to provide them with the training to not just acquire the technical skills, but more importantly the life skills they need to build better life for themselves, is a paramount responsibility of the State,” he said.

The DOLE targets some 3,200 youth beneficiaries this year for JobStart, even as it will continue to implement it in the four pilot areas.

“JobStart partners with employers in providing a comprehensive and systematic approach in assisting young jobseekers, from planning their career paths all the way through acquiring the best-fit jobs,” said Baldoz.

JobStart calls for employers to be selected through the signing of a memorandum of agreement. They, in turn, prepare a training plan and select from the JobStart youth participants and provide them with technical training and work experience. They receive the full cost of the technical training from the Bureau of Local Employment, the project management office. Youth participants are also paid an allowance to cover the employers’ administrative cost. In turn, employers pay the trainees an amount of at least 75 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in their region.

Baldoz lauded the following private companies for joining the launching in Davao City: Uni Frutti; SRL International Manpower Services; PBGEA; NCCC; Sumifru; Chariffer Builders; DLPC; MDC; Tristar Group of Banana Co.; Accendo Commercial Corporation; TMI-M; Davao doctor’s Hospital; DDC; Techno Trade Resources, Inc.; EMCOR; SM Supermarket; TADECO; Pritong Manok; Lapanday Foods Corp; Uraya Land Development Corp.; HEDCOR; Pinnacle Hotel and Suites; Earthgrain Goldilocks; UPI; SM Lanang Dept. Store; SM Home Lanang; DSG Sons; Big 8 Corporate Hotel; Stanfilco; Convergys; and San Pedro College. (PNA)

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