CAGAYAN DE ORO (PIA)-- "No youth will be left behind,” said Oro Youth Development Office (OYDO) Program Head Zyrah Mae G. Dehing, stressing the organization’s commitment to support the Public Employment Service Office (PESO)-Cagayan de Oro-Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) collaboration.

Dehing said the active partnership, particularly with JobsNext, an initiative of PBEd to produce future-ready Filipino youth, will benefit all Kagay-anon adolescents, particularly the out-of-school youth, during the Uy! Jobs Next Napod Year 2 cum PBEd Programs in Cagayan de Oro City on January 18.

"I can see a systematic approach to linking and providing opportunities for our youth here in Cagayan de Oro. We will soon have many graduates equipped with specific knowledge and learning experiences that are currently in demand in our industry,” she said.

As the activity provided an overview of various programs such as PBed, JobsNext, Youthworks PH, and Opportunity 2.0, OYDO sees an opportunity to boost employment opportunities, enhance the quality of education, and promote skills development among the youth in the city.

“This is a significant help in bridging our out-of-school youth—we are profiling the out-of-school youth here in our city so we can lobby, bridge, and connect them to these programs, providing us with resources for their employment and other opportunities through education and skills training,” Dehing said.

Representing Mayor Rolando Uy, SK Federation President, Councilor Kenneth John Sacala also addressed the challenges faced by youth in the labor sector, including physical, social, and legal aspects, emphasizing the need to correct legal conflicts and streamline government programs and services for youth.

Highlighting this concern, Emmanuel G. Toledo, chief of DOLE CDO Field Office, said, “This is a challenge for the DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] and DepEd [Department of Education] to capture the employment rate because this is what we call the gig economy.”

He added that through collective effort and sustainable partnerships, they envision more empowered youths in the city.  

Uy! Jobs Next Napod Year 2 cum PDBed Programs is an effort to bridge the gap between education and employment, providing a comprehensive platform for the youth to not only gain relevant skills but also to navigate legal and social challenges within the labor sector. (KAPG/PIA-10)