Senator Sonny Angara on Sunday urged all Filipino and out-of-school youths to explore the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) and the JobStart program if they are having problems finding employment or completing their education.
Angara, author of Republic Act 10917 or the Expanded SPES Law and RA 10869 or the JobStart Philippines Act, said these two pieces of legislation have long been important but are now more relevant due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic especially to the youth.
“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,” Angara said in a statement.
He noted that the country has seen a rise in the number of OSYs and unemployed youth in the past two years due to the pandemic, as schools were forced to suspend in-person classes and companies are 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,” the senator stressed.
Both laws were enacted in 2016 and have helped thousands of out-of-school youth (OSY) and unemployed youth in resuming their education and finding jobs.
Angara said the JobStart program aims to enhance the employability of Filipinos aged 18 to 24 by reducing their job-search period by providing them with training, paid internship and full-cycle employment facilitation services.
The program is also designed to increase the capacity of the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) as the local government units’ (LGUs) frontline for employment information and services.
JobStart trainees are provided with career coaching from trained career guidance advocates and undergo a 10-day life skills training program to prepare them for the workplace. Afterwards, they are then referred to JobStart partner employers for interview and placement for paid internships.
“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,” Angara said.
Meanwhile, SPES primarily offers temporary employment to individuals aged 15 to 30 years old for up to 78 days, according to the lawmaker.
Under the Expanded SPES law, he said all OSY and those enrolled in the tertiary, vocational or technical education may be employed any time of the year.
On the other hand, students enrolled in the secondary level can be employed only during summer and/or Christmas vacations.
“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,” the senator stressed.