CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)-- The Cagayan de Oro Public Employment Service Office (PESO) has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) to tackle youth unemployment, enhance the quality of education, and promote skills development through the "Uy! Jobs Next Napod Year 2 cum PBEd Programs" on January 18.

"In Cagayan de Oro, there are more or less 240,000 youth within this age bracket who need the government's attention in the performance of this function of promoting and protecting their rights, as indicated or manifested by the programs and services to address their social and economic needs. I would like everybody to recognize that this age bracket is a range of dynamism, and many transitions that pose many challenges not only to the youth but to the government as well," said Kenneth John Sacala, SK Federation president.

The initiative aimed to provide a platform for discussions and recommendations to address the challenges faced by youth in the labor sector, including physical, social, and legal transitions. Sacala emphasized the need to correct legal conflicts and streamline government programs and services for youth.

Hanibal Camua, deputy executive director of programs at PBEd, emphasized the focus on workforce development to enhance human capital development, particularly for those with limited opportunities for upskilling and gainful employment.

"Merong fighting chance ang bawat kabataan to make their lives better [Every youth has a fighting chance to make their lives better]," Camua said, emphasizing the organization's commitment to providing opportunities for youth.

Camua further elaborated on PBEd's initiatives, highlighting their focus on teaching and learning and providing scholarships to high-achieving high school students pursuing teaching degrees. He also outlined the importance of workforce development, detailing projects like Opportunity 2.0, Youthworks PH, and JobsNext, which aim to provide diverse interventions catering to the varied needs of the youth.

Camua emphasized the importance of industry participation in education and training, ensuring that the skills imparted align with the demands of the job market. He stressed the need for collaboration with industry partners to minimize skill mismatches and better equip the youth for the workforce.

Andrea Adorio, senior program officer of JobsNext, emphasized the importance of equipping the workforce with skills for future jobs. Adorio highlighted JobsNext's commitment to providing industry-relevant, up-to-date, and demand-driven training programs in collaboration with local government units (LGUs).

"We target them [youth] as our trainees for JobsNext. After their senior year of high school, we want to make sure that they are employable. So should they wish to continue or proceed to enter the workforce, then they will be readily equipped," Adorio said.

Addressing challenges faced by the youth, including legal ambiguities impacting their rights and social-economic needs, Sacala called for the partnership between PESO CDO and PBEd to facilitate more discussions that could lead to the improvement of legal frameworks and government programs and services for the youth.

The partnership between PESO and PBEd is seen as a significant step toward addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by the youth in Cagayan de Oro, with a focus on creating a more streamlined and effective approach to education, skills development, and employment opportunities. (RTP/PIA-10)