More youth want to be productive this summer - DOLE 6
Many young Ilonggos now want to spend the summer being productive, according to the Department of Labor and Employment 6.
DOLE 6 Sr. Labor and Employment Officer Nelia Mabilog said this is indicated by the number of young people who signified their participation as early as January to their Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) and those others who up to this date visit their office to inquire about the program.
The SPES aims to help poor but deserving students to pursue their education by providing income or augment their income through encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacation as mandated under Republic Act No. 7323. The program is also a component of the Kabataan 2000 program of President Gloria Macapagal along with the Work Appreciation Program (WAP) of the DOLE..
The local government units (LGUs), academe and the private sector companies support the DOLE in this program.
Last year, Mabilog said almost 7,000 youth in Western Visayas have found short-term jobs and were exposed to different productive activities through the program. She added that among the six provinces in the region, Negros Occidental posted the highest record of youth who found summer jobs last year with 4,051, followed by Iloilo with 1,383, Aklan with 595, Capiz with 459, Antique, 279 and Guimaras with 145. Mostly of these youth were employed by the local government units (LGUs).
This year, said Mabilog, they are expecting to surpass the figure, as in Iloilo city and province alone, some 36 agencies and institutions have already signified their commitment to the program. These agencies include 17 local government units, 4 private schools, 13 government schools and 2 private companies based in Pavia, Iloilo.
Under the program, the youth are paid for 8 hours of work daily for a total of 20 or 30 working days that will start for this ye ar, on March 27.
Mabilog said these summer job opportunities are also a sort of preparation for the youth in their entry to the mainstream of labor force. This is also a big boost to the government's continuing effort to address the unemployment problem in the country.
Recently, the DOLE Central Office reported that the country's employment situation markedly improved last January 2006 as the total employment volume nationwide rose by 750,000 compared with the same period last year.
"The students are elated over this program, because aside from earning money they at the same time gain invaluable work experience", said Mabilog.
(PIA)