This year, as the administration of Cabuyao City, Laguna Mayor Dennis "Denha" Hain enters into its second term, officials are now ready to enter into a new chapter towards the fulfillment of its goal: that of inclusive economic growth for all Cabuyeños.
As one of the main driving forces behind that goal, the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) under its head Karlo Hain has undertaken to ensure that all Cabuyeños will have an equal opportunity for jobs and livelihood.
This goal is guided by the tenets of Mayor Dennis Hain's IHELP (Industry, Health, Education, Livelihood, and Protection) platform.
And to achieve this goal, he believes, it is necessary to view the private sector – particularly the institutions offering technical and vocational courses – not as competitors, but as partners in his shared goal.
Cooperation with TVIs
“Ngayong second term po ni Mayor Dennis Hain, ang unang isinagawa po ng ating tanggapan ay pumasok sa mga memorandum of agreement sa mga technical vocational institutes (TVIs),” Karlo Hain reported in an interview with OpinYon Laguna.
As of press time, the local PESO has forged partnerships with 21 TVIs, located both in and beyond Cabuyao City.
“Ang purpose ng mga partnership na ito ay para makapag-alok ng more courses, more slots, more opportunities para sa mga taga-Cabuyao,” Hain added.
The move also aims to complement a recent ordinance that was passed by the Sangguniang Panglungsod on second reading, which aims to create the Bagong Cabuyao Technological Institute.
“Pero habang hindi pa po napu-push ang nasabing ordinansa, ang direction po natin ay i-recalibrate ang ating technical and vocational courses pabalik sa mga pamantasan,” he added.
Partners, not rivals
While some believe that forging partnerships with TVIs can be “counter-productive” as they steer away prospective employees from the PESO, Hain believes that these institutes complement, rather than compete, with his office.
“With our forged partnerships with TVIs, mas marami kaming courses na mai-o-offer sa ating mga kababayan,” he explained.
Aside from this, Hain believes that partnering with TVIs also, indirectly, helps in providing additional employment for Cabuyeños.
“Ang goal kasi natin dito ay, sa halip na pinapatay natin ang mga negosyo nila, tinutulungan natin sila para sila rin ay makapagbigay ng trabaho sa ating mga kababayan. Kasi, they’re also giving opportunities to their employees. And not only that, yung mga school na partners namin, nagbibigay na rin sila ng direktang trabaho sa ibang mga trainees nila,” he added.
The move of the Cabuyao City PESO to partner with TVIs also aligns with its plan to create a “skills database” for Cabuyeños who apply for employment through their office.
The proposed skills database will list all the skills and qualifications of Cabuyeños, which the PESO can then utilize to “match” these prospective employees with the jobs or companies that best meet their qualifications.
Other partnerships
This same mindset of forging partnerships has also enabled the Cabuyao City PESO to push forward with its plans to ensure a level playing field for all Cabuyeños, whatever their age or limitations are.
“For instance, we are now initiating talks with Jollibee so that they can give employment to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens. I think we’re the first local government in Laguna to launch a partnership with them,” Hain disclosed.
The Cabuyao City PESO is now planning to partner with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide virtual assistance courses to certain sectors of the PWD community who are unable to gain employment due to their disabilities.
“So kung matapos nila yun, at least they can work at home. Diba yung mga home-based na VA works, meron silang chance na kumita,” the PESO head added.
Other programs
Another program the Cabuyao PESO is now looking into implementing is the “Hanap Income” (HAIN) program, aimed at unemployed parents of students in the city’s public schools.
Under the program, HAIN drop boxes will be installed inside public schools, where parents or even students looking for part-time work can drop their resumes for reviewing by the Cabuyao PESO.
“Iba pa po ito sa SPES [Special Program for Employment of Students, which provides temporary employment to deserving students and out-of-school youth]. Nakipag-ugnayan na po kami sa mga parent-teacher association (PTA), and hopefully po, by next year, mai-launch na po natin ito,” Hain said.
Meanwhile, the PESO is also exploring the possibility of creating a “one-stop shop” for first-time jobseekers, where they can avail all of their requirements for employment with various government agencies in one go.
“But basically, what they will be expecting for PESO next year is more trainings. We are really capitalizing on a lot of trainings para mas maraming opportunities ang maibigay talaga sa ating mga kababayan,” Hain added.
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