PIA Press Release Saturday, January 21, 2012 5,300 Cordi youth set to benefit from SPES programBAGUIO CITY, Jan. 21(PIA) -- More poor but deserving students are set to benefit from the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE-CAR) Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) for this year. According to DOLE-CAR Regional Director Atty. Sixto Rodriguez, from the P8 million SPES budget for Cordillera in 2011, budget allocation for this year is increased to P30 Million, which from the 4,000 beneficiaries of the program in 2011, the target beneficiaries for this year also increase to 5,300. “Encouraging poor but deserving students or out of school youth (OSYs) to participate in the SPES program would mean giving them the opportunity not only to raise money for their education but most importantly preparing them or exposing them to actual work situation”, Rodriguez said. “Through the program, the student beneficiaries while working will be able to acquire basic skills and work experiences and at the same time, may learn the aspect of values formation and work appreciation,” he added. Rodriguez also encouraged interested youths to visit the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in their respective areas to enlist or inquire about the SPES program. DOLE-CAR’s target beneficiaries are distributed as follows: Abra, 685; Apayao, 265; Benguet, 1,459; Baguio City, 1,459; Ifugao, 477; Kalinga, 478, and Mt. Province, 477. Under the SPES, an employment facilitation program of DOLE, partner employers, may it be a local government unit or private establishment, pays 60 percent of the students wage while the remaining 40 percent will be shouldered by DOLE. As for qualification requirement, any student or youth applicant to the program should be at least 15 years of age but not more than 25 years old; enrolled or intending to enroll in any educational institution for secondary, tertiary or technical-vocation education and must also have a good standing or an average passing grade in the last semester or last school year attended ; and whose combined net income after tax of parents does not exceed the poverty threshold for a family of six in CAR or P117, 318.00 per annum. (JDP/LD-PIA CAR) |