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DOLE’s employment facilitation programs benefit 4.4M workers

By Ferdinand Patinio

December 20, 2022, 1:40 pm

<p><em>(File photo)</em></p>

(File photo)

MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reported that its employment facilitation programs assisted some 4.4 million job seekers, including employees looking for better work opportunities this year.

In a statement Tuesday, the agency said training and upgrading skills of workers for local and international jobs have been provided under different programs.

Among them were the 6,627 seafarers who finished the Maritime Training Skills Competency of the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), the sole government maritime research center.

The NMP provides skills and competency training to Filipino seafarers to increase their acceptability for employment in the domestic and international shipping industry.

It added that the Skills Development Program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has certified a total of 631,410 trainees in its vocational training and apprenticeship programs.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), another attached agency of DOLE, administered 41 Professional Licensure Examinations to more than 116,000 examinees amid the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, the department also pushed for a more vigorous school-to-work transition by enlisting 102,025 youth to the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), the Government Internship Program (GIP), and JobStart.

SPES is an employment-bridging program that provides temporary employment to poor but deserving students, out-of-school youth, and dependents of displaced or would-be displaced workers.

GIP provides high school, technical-vocational, or college graduates an opportunity to work in local or national government offices.

On the other hand, JobStart is a DOLE program that prepares Filipino youth for employment through career coaching, life skills and technical training, and internships with employers.

Amid the strict implementation of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health and safety protocols, DOLE also conducted 521 job fairs, which were attended by over 100,000 job seekers.

Through the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), it has referred up to 1 million job seekers to employers and training institutions.

Of this number, almost 970,000 applicants were hired during the year. (PNA)

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