S. Cotabato to hire 300 students in special employment program

GENERAL SANTOS CITY--The provincial government of South Cotabato aims to enlist at least 300 students for the year-round component of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES).

Merlyn Esteban, South Cotabato Public Employment Services Office (PESO) manager, said Thursday they have started accepting applications for the program and will conduct the initial interview of the applicants starting next week.

Esteban said the program is open to all students and out-of-school youths (OSY), aged 15 to 30 years old, from the province's 10 towns and lone city. She added that the hiring process is expected to wrap up before the end of the month.

Students and OSYs coming from low-income households, as certified by their barangays, are the program's main priority.

"But we're also giving priority to third and fourth year college students and non-recipients of the summer SPES component," she said.

Under the program, Esteban said beneficiaries will be deployed in batches for 20 to 25 working days in various offices of the provincial government.

They will receive a daily salary of P477.74 or P11,943.50 after completing a 25-day work assignment, she said.

SPES is a flagship program implemented by local government units and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to assist poor but deserving students and out-of-school youths intending to pursue their education to gain employment during summer, Christmas vacation or any time of the year.

The initiative, which has a maximum annual cycle of 52 days per beneficiary, mainly caters to students in the tertiary, technical or vocational level.

DOLE provides for 40 percent of the beneficiaries’ salaries while the employing offices or establishments shoulder the remaining 60 percent. Esteban said the beneficiaries are required to use their earnings to continue their education.

"Those who would not be able to enroll would be required to explain the reasons or circumstances through a formal letter to DOLE," she said. (PNA)