TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 6, (PIA)—Himself instrumental in enhancing a special program for the employment of students, Governor Edgar Chatto is now back at it in youth-oriented work programs via JobStart Philippines Program in Bohol.
The program’s ultimate goal is to drastically cut unemployment rate in the country by getting to the young jobseekers, who comprise a larger section of the workforce, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Chatto, who represented Bohol, signed the Memorandum of Undertaking (MOU) with DOLE through Undersecretary for Employment Reydeluz Conferido representing Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
This is for a youth career coaching, training program aimed at hot-starting careers by creating opportunities for improving technical skills the young job seekers would be using in their future workplaces.
The program mentors and tools job-seekers, to improve their chances of better jobs and nicer outcomes.
A partnership program of the DOLE, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Jobstart aims to increase the employability of the youth by providing them access to technical and life skills training demanded by employers.
By young job seekers, the program means young adults 18-24 years old, at least high school diploma holders, with less than a year of work experience; and those who are not currently enrolled or employed, in education, or in training program, states the signed MOU.
For Bohol, JobStart Philippines provides Bohol Employment Placement Office (BEPO), who will largely be involved in the program rollout to the PESOs, the technical assistance to improve labor market information (LMI), offer management and staff training and tools to conduct job readiness assessments, career guidance and employment coaching (CGEC), and life skills training.
The MOU signing puts a JobStart Unit here, and in Public Employment Service Offices in towns to provide capacity building and technical assistance to the PESOs and DOLE Field Offices; disburse grants to establishments, train providers and monitor performance of the program.
The program launch last March 4, in Bilar Bohol, also formalizes DOLE’s assistance to develop tools for capturing and disseminating LMI about jobs, skills in demand, and wages and benefits, DOLE said.
It also puts them establishing a Client Tracking System (CTS) in the PESOs program roll-out, carry-out an organizational analysis of PESO staffing and facilities to tweak it into a full-cycle employment facilitation service, according to the MOU.
JobStart also provides career guidance for young job seekers by skills assessment, career and self-awareness, career coaching and training, and from there, the job seeker undergoes a mentored assessment to test his job readiness through eight-day life skills training designed to mold attitudes and skills of the youth into one who can surmount the demands of work.
Observers who studied the MOUS said Career guidance and life skills training should enable the youth to be matched in jobs available in partner-employers for the technical training of up to three months.
Already tested in at least four places in the Philippines, Jobstart happens to give Bohol a first with the full-year implementation here, as both representatives signed the MOU.
In short, under JobStart, youth beneficiaries get full-cycle employment facilitation services that include Career Guidance and Coaching provided by PESO staff and other trained career guidance coaches and advocates, Life Skills training for eight days, technical skills training for up to three months and Company-based internships for up to six months.
For the duration, interns get stipends of between P200 to P300 during their training and 75 percent of minimum wage during their six-month internship.
On the other hand, employers will receive P9,000 in training fee per intern they will accommodate.
This, it gets from DOLE vouchers while anticipating higher youth placement rate at 80% from the current 65%, labor sources also revealed.
JobStart Program is a pivotal step in improving the youth employment situation in the country through the effective delivery of current labor market information, employment services, skills-jobs matching mechanisms, and other job search reforms,” labor secretary Baldoz was quoted. (RAC/PIABohol)
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