Ni NOEL ABUEL
Hinimok ni Senador Sonny Angara ang mga kabataan sa bansa partikular ang mga hindi nakatapos ng pag-aaral o nahirapan sa paghahanap ng trabaho na samantalahin ang Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) at ang JobStart program para makatulong na maging produktibo miyembro ng lipunan.
Ayon kay Angara, may-akda ng Republic Act 10917 o ang Expanded SPES Law at RA 10869 o ang JobStart Philippines Act, na ang dalawang naipasang batas noong 2016 ay mahalaga at naging mas kailangan dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic na nakaapekto sa buhay ng mga Filipino kabilang ang mga kabataan.
“Every year, thousands of deserving Filipino youth benefit from the SPES and JobStart programs that we introduced as tools to assist them in getting their education back on track and for them to gain the experience and skills they need to become employed,” ani Angara.
“In the past two years the number of OSYs and unemployed youth went up as the schools were forced to suspend their face-to-face classes and companies were not hiring due to the scaling down of their operations. Now that we are starting to see some sense of normalcy in our country, our disadvantaged youth should not lose hope because programs like the SPES and JobStart are there to help them,” dagdag nito.
Layunin ng JobStart program na mapahusay na makahanap ng trabaho ang mga kabataang may edad 18 hanggang 24-anyos sa pamamagitan ng pagbabawas ng job-search period sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng pagsasanay, paid internship at full-cycle employment facilitation services.
Idinesenyo rin aniya ito para madagdagan ang kapasidad ng Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) bilang frontliners ng mga local government units (LGUs) sa impormasyon sa pagtatrabaho at serbisyo.
Ang mga JobStart trainees ay binibigyan ng career coaching mula sa mga trained career guidance advocates at sumasailalim sa 10-day life skills training program para ihanda ang mga ito sa trabaho.
Sa loob ng pagsasanay sa life skills at technical training period, ang mga JobStart trainees ay makakatanggap ng daily allowances at sa sandaling makapasok sa internship stage, makakatanggap ang mga ito ng daily stipend na hindi lalagpas sa 75 percent ng kasalukuyang minimum wage sa LGUs kung saan naroon ang employer.
“The training and experience gained by the JobStart trainees would give them an advantage in gaining employment. On the other hand, the program also provides the employers with candidates that are trained, skilled and prepared for the requirements of the workplace,” ayon pa kay Angara.
Para naman sa SPES, ipinaliwanag ni Angara na ang programa ay isang temporary employment sa mga indibiduwal na may edad 15 hanggang 30-anyos na aabot sa 78 araw.
“With the JobStart and SPES, we are giving our disadvantaged youth the opportunity to complete their education and land jobs so that they will be able to support their families and have a better quality of life,” paliwanag ni Angara.
OnlineBalita news 