USAID, YouthWorksPH, congressional office ink pact on employment opportunities for Kagay-anon Youth

During the historic signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with USAID and YouthWorks PH, the 2nd District Congressional Office in Cagayan de Oro City represented by chief-of-staff Atty. Regine Rodriguez, penned their partnership to provide more employment prospects for the Kagay-anon youth.

This partnership entails more employment opportunities for at least 30,000 Filipino youth to improve their life skills and enter the workforce with ease. The ceremonial signing was held at Seda Hotel – Centrio, Cagayan de Oro last April 13, 2022.

In her message, Atty. Rodriguez highlighted that the efforts of YouthWorks PH are vital to the mission of Cong. Rodriguez in providing competent and sustainable public service to the Kagay-anons. This includes providing quality education to aspiring learners in the city. She further expressed her gratitude to TESDA and various technical-vocational institutions in the city for equipping their scholars with the right skills to be able to compete in their future workforce.

According to Atty. Rodriguez, this long-term collaboration will address the problem of scholar-graduates who were unable to be employed right after their graduation. She also added that this partnership is a great first step toward guaranteeing job opportunities for the youth.

In response, USAID Office of Education Director Dr. Thomas LeBlanc said, “We at USAID believe that this investment requires more than just financial resources. It also requires creating an environment that supports their development and encourages them to take risks and pursue their passion. This means providing mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals who can offer insights and advice on building successful careers. It means creating networks and communities that bring together young people with similar interests and aspirations”

YouthWorks PH Chief of Party Rhea Peñaflor extended her appreciation to the industry partners  for their contribution towards addressing the issue of  youth not in education, employment or training (NEET).

“The private sector has created job opportunities and provided training and mentoring programs to help our youth gain practical skills that are essential for employment and we are so grateful for these partnerships. Finally, we are happy that we are able to bring in the private and public sectors to support this program, truly, this encapsulates the whole-of-society approach,” concludes Peñaflor.

Also present during the ceremonial signing were USAID Project Management Specialist Justin Edward Modesto III and YouthWorks PH Deputy Chief of Party Hanibal Camua.

A separate signing of Memorandum Agreement also transpired between Vineyard International Polytechnic College represented by Chief Operations Officer Anton Padilla and YouthWork PH.