Negros oriental: Four hundred 'near-hire' job seekers will benefit from the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority's (TESDA) Tulong Trabaho Scholarship Program (TTSP), launched in Negros Oriental on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, this initiative follows the signing of a memorandum of agreement among TESDA, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Australian firm WrkPod. This collaboration marks the first-ever Contact Center Services (CCS) Training National Certificate II under the TTSP, facilitated through the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Act. Earlier in the day, a training induction program was also conducted for the scholars.
DTI - Negros Oriental Director Juliet Banogon, in an interview with the three partners, mentioned reaching out to TESDA after learning about WrkPod's plan to generate 10,000 jobs in Negros Oriental and surrounding areas over the coming years. Banogon emphasized the need to address challenges faced by 'near-hires' who may struggle to secure employment due to insufficient skill sets or other barriers.
Highlighting similar challenges faced in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in Cebu, Banogon noted, "The 'near-hires' just needed a little tweaking for them to be absorbed by the company, and so I thought the EBET could be the answer to this."
TESDA provincial director Fletcher Gumahad explained that while the Tulong sa Trabaho program was developed last year, its implementation was delayed due to specific requirements needing fulfillment. Gumahad further stated that WrkPod has committed to hiring 80 percent of the trainees upon program completion.
The program offers a free 18-day training where scholars receive a daily allowance, National Competency Assessment, and other benefits. Most scholars are from Negros Oriental, with some applicants from Siquijor also participating in the CCS II training.
WrkPod's executive director, James Thompson, praised the government's partnership with TESDA and DTI, acknowledging it as a valuable effort to achieve the company's target of hiring 10,000 virtual assistants over the next three years. Thompson expressed, "I really want to praise the government because, in all my years in the industry in Australia, where I'm from, I've never seen a government department actually reach out and offer help like this partnership with TESDA and DTI."
Banogon also highlighted that the agreement obliges WrkPod to provide training modules aligned with its skills requirements, aiming to address job mismatches and applicants' skill deficiencies.
