Pangasinan: A total of 255 unemployed out-of-school youths (OSY) in Pangasinan will soon start internships or employment through the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) JobStart Philippines Program. This was after the OSY beneficiaries completed early this week the 10-day Life Skills Training (LST), part of the JobStart Philippines Program that offers skills training, internship, and employment opportunities.

According to Philippines News Agency, after graduating from the LST, each of the beneficiaries received PHP4,200 as allowance for transportation and other expenses, as stated by DOLE 1 (Ilocos Region). Memoranda of Agreement were signed between DOLE and its partner employers, signifying their commitment to providing real work experiences and job opportunities for the graduates.

DOLE-1 Assistant Director Honorina Dian-Baga commented that the program assists young people in gaining essential skills and confidence as they begin their journey toward decent and meaningful jobs. DOLE-1 information officer Jenny Mapile mentioned in a recent interview that the beneficiaries were part of the 425 total beneficiaries in the Ilocos region. Eighty-five OSY from Ilocos Norte and another 85 from Ilocos Sur are also undergoing LST.

Mapile explained that JobStart is open to Filipino citizens aged 18 to 24 at the time of registration, who have reached at least high school level education (minimum of first year high school for 10-year basic education and Grade 7 for K-to-12), are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) at the time of registration, and have no work experience or have less than one year of accumulated work experience. JobStart, institutionalized under Republic Act 10869, supports youth employability alongside DOLE's Government Internship Program and Special Program for Employment of Students.