MANILA — Over 3,000 unemployed and out-of-school youth will have a bigger chance at landing a job now that multiple organizations and firms have inked an agreement to provide free skills training worth almost P43 million under YouthWorks PH.

YouthWorks PH is a P1.7-billion workforce development project of the United States Agency for International Development and the Philippine Business for Education. It aims to provide work-based training opportunities for unemployed youth ages 18-30 years old.

It was launched in 2018.

Citing studies, PBEd Board of Trustees chairman Ramon Del Rosario Jr. said over 2 million skilled jobs are “expected to be left unfilled if there are no significant reforms in education and training of workers”.

“The long-standing problem of job-skill mismatch continues to impair our efforts towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Without proper and relevant training, we will be left with weak foundation,” Del Rosario said.

He said the “youth are linked” to training institutions to learn the skills they need so they land meaningful jobs in the future.

“Without sufficient skills training, youth from marginalized communities are faced with a host of challenges that impede their well-being and which have long-lasting consequences on their ability to lead productive lives,” Del Rosario said.

“We must provide Filipino youth with all opportunities possible to maximize their potential,” added Ryan Washburn, USAID Philippines Mission director.

The private companies and institutions that signed the deal were Asiapro Multi-purpose Cooperative, Blogapalooza, Greencars Mindanao Corporation, Crossroads Training Institute, Universidad de Manila, Luljetta’s Place, Alrose Group, HOUSE Foundation and Messy Bessy.

Some of the new partners said they need more skilled people.

“Service technicians are in demand for the past years. Based on our experience, they usually venture to other opportunities especially the ones offered overseas,” said Riza May Dagoc, human resources head of Greencars Mindanao Corporation.

“We are really lacking automotive graduates, in our company right now we need graduates that we can train,” she added.

Recruitment for trainees is now underway. For those interested, they may visit this link.

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