Young jobseekers in Surigao City will benefit from the JobStart Philippines program following a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by the local government and the Department of Labor and Employment in Caraga (DOLE-13).

“Surigao City successfully passed DOLE’s assessment and evaluation, earning the grant for the JobStart program,” the city’s Public Information Office (PIO) said in a statement Thursday.

The MOA, signed Wednesday by Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao II and DOLE-13 Director Joffrey Suyao, will provide career coaching and life skills training to jobseekers aged 18 to 24 who are not in education, employment, or training.

The program also includes technical training and internship opportunities with employers, aiming to prepare participants for future employment.

DOLE-13 will directly fund the initiative, which would benefit at least 100 out-of-school youth in the city. The funding covers attendance to life skills training, technical training, and job placement activities.

Dumlao praised DOLE for creating opportunities to empower the city’s young workforce. (PNA)