By Roche M. Angon, National Project Coordinator for ILO, MDG F Joint Programme on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth
Trainers of ILO’s entrepreneurship programme, Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB), shared their experiences in training disadvantaged youth in Masbate, Antique, Maguindanao and Agusan del Sur, during the Refresher Workshop for Master Trainers and Trainers of SIYB in May 2012.
This workshop, supported by the MDG Fund Joint Programme on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth through the International Labour Organization (ILO), aimed to enhance the capacity of trainers from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (TESDA-ARMM), in delivering entrepreneurship training to disadvantaged youth.
During the workshop, the trainers discussed how they may further market SIYB as a training product and considered proper selection of partner organizations and of trainees, developing appropriate materials and providing after-training support. These strategies will help improve subsequent entrepreneurship training programmes for the disadvantaged youth, even beyond the completion of the Joint Programme in July 2012.
The refresher workshop on SIYB, first to be held in the Philippines, was designed by the Joint Programme to help institutionalize the programme in the country through its project partners as well as the national and local government.
The Joint Programme promotes entrepreneurship as a career option and as a priority for addressing challenges to youth employment. “Vulnerably employed youth often lack the education that many of the youth unemployed have been able to obtain. These youth are often left with little choice but to accept or even create whatever forms of work they can find, just so they and their loved ones can survive another day”, said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director of ILO Country Office for the Philippines, in his opening message during the workshop.
Together with the DOLE and TESDA-ARMM and in partnership with the private sector and relevant government agencies, the Joint Programme has so far trained 290 out of 400 targeted youth on entrepreneurship. It has also provided 159 out of 240 targeted youths with starter kits to establish individual or group-based microenterprises based on successful business plans. A starter kit is comprised of basic tools and materials to start a microenterprise. A total of 76 out of 96 target youth have set up microenterprises. Meanwhile, 88 representatives of local partner organizations, i.e. DOLE and TESDA-ARMM the four pilot provinces, can now train youths on SIYB as well as assessing their entrepreneurship potentials.
DOLE and TESDA-ARMM have committed to sustain entrepreneurship training programmes to disadvantaged youth beyond the four pilot provinces of the Joint Programme, such as in other areas of the CARAGA region. They will also monitor the assisted micro enterprises as well as continue with counselling and mentoring of young people through the local trainers.
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