YouthWorks PH Provides Free Skills Training to 3,000 Unemployed Youth

Various companies and organizations have signed an agreement with YouthWorks PH in an effort to provide ₱43-million worth of free skills training to more than 3,000 unemployed and out-of-school youth, which will significantly assist them in searching for a job. YouthWorks PH is a workforce development project between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) that was started in 2018. Its primary aim is to provide 18 to 30-year old unemployed individuals with work-based training opportunities.

Around 2 million skilled jobs are “expected to be left unfilled if there are no significant reforms in education and training of workers,” noted PBEd Board of Trustees chairman Ramon Del Rosario Jr. “The long-standing problem of job-skill mismatch continues to impair our efforts towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Without proper and relevant training, we will be left with weak foundation.”

“Without sufficient skills training, youth from marginalized communities are faced with a host of challenges that impede their well-being and which have long-lasting consequences on their ability to lead productive lives,” Del Rosario elaborated. He added that “youth are linked” to training institutions which allow them to acquire relevant skills necessary for future employment.

“We must provide Filipino youth with all opportunities possible to maximize their potential,” affirmed USAID Philippines Mission director Ryan Washburn. Acknowledging their need for more skilled workers, among the companies and organizations that have signed with YouthWorks PH include Asiapro Multi-purpose Cooperative, Blogapalooza, Greencars Mindanao Corporation, Crossroads Training Institute, Universidad de Manila, Luljetta’s Place, Alrose Group, HOUSE Foundation, and Messy Bessy.

“Service technicians are in demand for the past years. Based on our experience, they usually venture to other opportunities especially the ones offered overseas,” said Greencars Mindanao Corporation human resources head Riza May Dagoc. “We are really lacking automotive graduates, in our company right now we need graduates that we can train.”

YouthWorks PH has already started its recruitment for trainees. Interested individuals may visit their registration form here.

Source: ABS CBN