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| Infographic courtesy of DOLE Ilocos Norte |
LAOAG CITY—The Dept. of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and several private companies here have teamed up to boost the special employment of students and out-of-school youth (OSY) in the province.
Janelyn Martin, DOLE Ilocos Norte head, said that around 550 jobs
are open for students and OSY with the possibility to be hired as part-time or
permanent employees.
The Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) aims to
provide temporary employment to poor but deserving students, out-of-school
youth, and dependents of displaced or would-be displaced workers during summer
and/or Christmas vacation or any time of the year to augment the family’s
income and help ensure that beneficiaries are able to pursue their education.
To further maximize the contribution of SPES to the success of
young Filipinos and to the country’s job generation and facilitation efforts,
the Marcos administration has strengthened the program and increased its budget
allocation.
DOLE has allotted PHP828.9 million this year for SPES, a higher allocation
compared to PHP585 million in 2023 as confirmed by the Dept. of Budget and
Management.
SPES was created under Republic Act 7323 as amended by Republic
Act 9457 and further amended by Republic Act 10917.
Every year, SPES is being implemented by DOLE in partnership with
local government units as well as with private employers engaged in food
service businesses here.
“The beneficiaries will work for 20 days and the DOLE has
allotted PHP2,342,828.98 counterpart,” Martin said in an interview.
She said 40 percent of the applicable minimum wages of the
beneficiaries will be shouldered by DOLE and the remaining 60 percent by the
employer.
Interested applicants may directly apply to private and public
establishments or to DOLE Ilocos Norte Field Office as the application is now
ongoing.
As of this posting, private employers like Chowking, Zarks
Burgers and Ramen Naijiro have committed to hire some of the students and OSY
as crew members.
Others that will be hired will be deployed to government offices
to do clerical jobs and provide general assistance to the public.
Martin said all beneficiaries either working in private or public
establishments are entitled to an insurance coverage valid for a year.
“This is a big help for us students because we are given the
privilege to help our parents to earn and to learn also,” Febe Bagcal, a
student of Mariano Marcos State University who is planning to avail of the SPES
program, said.
The SPES program is expected to start this summer. (Leilanie
G. Adriano)
