LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) — A total of 91 out-of-school youth from Ilocos Norte and Northern Luzon are ready to start their careers as certified professionals in the field of construction after completing skills training through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) and Philippine Business for Education’s (PBEd) YouthWorks PH (YWPH) program.
A graduation rite was held recently at the Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center and was attended by program completers from the municipalities of Currimao, Solsona, Vintar, and nearby provinces.
The YWPH is an eight-year project of USAID and PBEd that seeks to provide work-based training to young Filipinos and enhance their employability and productivity while promoting better alignment between the education system and industry needs.
Under the said program, the graduates were able to finish the 15-day training in tile setting and construction painting under the Career Builder Skills Training and Assessment Center, Inc.
Also, a five-day work-based training in companies specializing in construction, such as AsiaPro, Worklife, and DATEM, in different areas in Metro Manila and the Ilocos region.
They have also undergone skills training in dressmaking, carpentry, masonry, scaffolding, and tinsmithing.
The USAID said that all of the graduates will formally start their jobs under the companies that hosted their training.
“This milestone is proof that through collaboration of industries and government, technical vocational training can forge a path for our youth to enhance their career journey, restore their hope to uplift their lives, and even give them a competitive edge in their chosen careers,” USAID Deputy Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks said in her messaging during the trainees’ graduation ceremony.
YWPH continues to provide free technical-vocational training and allowances to Filipino out-of-school youth, helping them gain valuable skills and secure employment.
The project works with local government units and businesses to expand opportunities and promote workforce development.
Interested individuals must meet certain criteria to be involved in the skills training program: he or she must be between 18 to 30 years old; have completed at least Grade 10 or obtained a senior high school diploma; an alternative learning system completer; a college undergraduate; not currently enrolled or employed; and possess a valid government ID such as a Social Security System, passport, Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID), driver’s license, postal ID, voter’s ID, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) license or PRC ID, Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID/ePhil ID, or Home Development Mutual Fund/Pag-IBIG Fund ID.
Registration, technical course and skills training, on-the-job training, placement exam, and job interview are all required in order to join and participate in the program.
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the official social media page of YouthWorks PH at https://www.facebook.com/youthworksND?mibextid=kFxxJD where they post recruitment announcements.
The provincial government of Ilocos Norte has also conveyed their support to the initiatives of YouthWorks PH in enhancing the lives of the youth in Ilocos Norte.
“Because we believe that you are the future of Ilocos Norte, and we need more partnerships like this to enhance the lives of Filipino people, the Ilokano people. You are the hope of our province,” said Rafael Chua Medina, board member and representative of Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc in the event.
Zehid Mien Vicente, a graduate of the program, expressed his gratitude for the program’s intent to provide them an opportunity to reach for their dreams, despite the discrimination he faces as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I would like to thank the YouthWorks PH program for this opportunity to prove that gender identity will never be the reason for me to stop from pursuing my dreams,” said Vicente.
To date, the program has established over 15,000 work-based training positions and successfully placed more than 5,000 out-of-school youths in the flexible training for work program.
Additionally, it has strengthened partnerships with over a hundred organizations across key locations, including Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bohol, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Zamboanga, South Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos. (AMB/MJTAB/MTDA-intern/PIA Ilocos Norte)
