Seventy one students in the town of Guinayangan in Quezon Province have received skills training through the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) program implemented using the strategy of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The said training on Certificate in Manufacturing Technology is provided by the National College of Science and Technology (NCST).

All the students are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a human development program of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to poor households to support the health and educational needs of children zero to 18 years old.

The SLP, another DSWD core social poverty alleviation program implemented alongside Pantawid Pamilya, provides income-generating opportunities and employment to poor households through capacitating them for employment or for micro-enterprise management.  The SLP prioritizes Pantawid Pamilya households to improve their living condition and help sustain the gains of the program.

In June 2015, the DSWD Field Office IV-A has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the NCST to provide skills training to beneficiaries all over the CALABARZON Region on a Zero-Cash-Out Study-Now-Pay-Later program.

As part of the training, students receive a three-month academic training and a 12-month industry-based training to NCST partner companies. During the industry-based training, the beneficiaries will receive an allowance, where the cost of their matriculation will be deducted.

“The DSWD is covering the expenses of the beneficiaries during the first three months of training including the food, board and lodging, uniform and medical fees. This scheme will eliminate common financial problems of poor households in finding employment,” shared DSWD IV-A Regional Director Leticia T. Diokno.

Dir. Diokno emphasized that this will help ensure that the beneficiaries complete their training, enhance their skills and increase their employability rate to improve their capacity to get out of their current situation.

The said pre-employment assistance provided by the DSWD is funded by the BUB, which costs PhP1 Million.

To date, the 71 students are currently enrolled in NCST in Dasmariñas City in Cavite Province for the said training. Some of them are already undergoing industry-based training where they are already receiving an allowance that helps them support their families.# with reports from MCEstrella