8,130 working youth benefited from DOLE’s computer skills training, livelihood projects
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said a total of 8,130 working youths have been assisted through the Working Youth Center (WYC) projects and Kabataan Information Technology Opportunities (K-ITO) in 2009.
Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the WYC and K-ITO projects have empowered the beneficiaries with the computer technology and entrepreneurial skills and on-the-job working experience they need for upliftment and development towards a more productive adulthood.
Roque, who was once an active youth leader also paid tribute to the indispensible role of the working youth in nation building on the occasion of the Working Youth Day last February 15, 2010.
Proclamation No. 1110 of 1973 declared February 15 as Working Youth Day.
Citing a report from the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC), the Labor Chief said a total of 612 working youths, comprising 21 groups from 8 regions in the country were granted capital assistance of Php 4.79 million under WYC’s Youth Entrepreneurship Support (YES) project last year.
For this year, Roques said the BWSC has lined up 10 projects amounting to Php 2.325 million that are expected to benefit the working youth.
The YES project is a component of the WYC program, which provides college, technical-vocational graduates and graduating students the opportunity to become self-reliant entrepreneurs.
Aimed at meeting the employment needs of these young graduates, the YES project offers a comprehensive package of entrepreneurship-related services, namely, partnership and consensus-building; identification and organization of YES buddies; values and leadership formation and social preparation; capability-building and capital assistance.
Roque said that the regional offices of DOLE in regions IV-A (CALABARZON), V (Bicol), VII (Western Visayas), IX (Western Mindanao), X (Northern Mindanao) and XII have actively advocated for the YES project.
Another project, the Youth Education-Youth Employability (YEYE), also under the WYC program has benefitted 5,543 youths who were hired as student-trainees by Jollibee Foods Corporation and its subsidiaries (Greenwich and Chowking) with 269 partner schools nationwide.
Meanwhile, Kabataan-ITO mobilized 1,975 computer-literate youths as volunteer mentors across all regions of the country who provided free learning sessions on basic and practical computer operations to 15,534 out-of-school-youths and other disadvantaged sectors last year.
The Kabataan-ITO is one of DOLE’s priority deliverable project. The mentors were given a stipend for their service. The project not only taught computer operations to the beneficiaries but allowed them to access online the various government programs and services.
Roque said DOLE will contribute to develop the youth into effective leaders, self-reliant and productive citizens.
“We believe in the vast potential of the unemployed and the disadvantaged youth and thus, DOLE will exert its efforts to make them productive contributors to our economy,” Roque said.
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