22 February 2013
Aiming to spread its benefits to more people, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is bringing its Cash for Training Program (C4TP) to the youth of northern Luzon.
Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, led the launch of the program on February 22 in Baguio City targetting close to 5,000 out-of-school youth and unemployed young people in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) to help them eventually find jobs or assist them in starting a business.
The program earlier debuted in Pangasinan benefitting around 2,000 scholars.
C4TP is a joint program of TESDA and the Department of Social Welfare and Development that will run for six months, from December 2012 up to May 2013.
"Young people who are either unemployed or out of school do not give good prospects for the community," Villanueva said.
"With this program, we want to integrate them into the education loop, their tool for survival when it is time to hunt for jobs or start a business of their own," he added.
DSWD will provide the funds for the training and help identify the beneficiaries, while TESDA, through its 125 administered training institutions and partner schools will conduct the actual skills training.
The program will be implemented in two independent components, namely, Training for Wage Employment (Trabaho) and Training for Self Employment (Hanapbuhay). For wage employment, training will be organized and conducted in a training institution with TESDA-registered program and graduates will be assisted in looking for jobs.
For self-employment, training will be conducted on-site, either through a training institution or through a partner non-government organization.
Each qualified youth will receive the training for free and will also be entitled to free assessment and training allowance. Those who will train under the self-employment category will get livelihood tool kits.
Northern Luzon region plays a crucial role in the economy as one of Metro Manila's suppliers of fruits and vegetables.
Villanueva said that TESDA offers courses such as agriculture and horticulture that will produce Specialistas who can help the local economy grow and become sustainable.
"There's so much work for the youth out there. We just need to provide the stimulus to keep them going," he said.
"For the your farmers, we will enhance their competencies in agriculture so that we could contribute in increasing their productivity and income. For the others, we will hone their skills and make them Specialistas in the course of their choice so they can knock on the doors of companies and get a job," he added.
The C4TP launch for Baguio was held at the University of the Cordilleras Ampitheater in Baguio City.
The beneficiaries came from the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Baguio, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province.
The Pangasinan launch took place at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen last February 21.
Among the courses offered for the C4TP in Pangasinan are Automotive, Driving, Food and Beverage Services, Commercial Cooking, Bartending, Motorcycle and Small Engine Repair and Maintenance, Welding, Housekeeping, Computer Hardware Servicing, Beauty Care, Consumer Electronics Servicing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Animal Production.
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