The Antique provincial board requested a PHP54 million fund from the office of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio to establish training centers for out-of-school youths (OSY) in the province.

Board Member Rony Molina sponsored the resolution passed during the regular session of the Provincial Board on Monday, citing the need for a center for each 18 municipalities of Antique for OSYs to acquire vocational training and equip them with knowledge and skills to make them employable.

“The construction of the training center aims to improve the socio-economic condition of the OSY because of the acquired vocational skill that could provide them employment,” he said.

In a follow-up interview, he said the local government units will manage the centers to augment the training provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Molina added there are many jobless OSYs in Antique despite available jobs like carpentry, plumbing, and electrical installations due to a lack of skills. However, she did not state the number of unemployed youth.

The training center could also help college graduates who could not land a professional job but forced to get employed as household helpers or other skilled workers abroad.

“LGUs, through their training centers, could also help prepare their constituents for job matching and placement abroad,” he said. (PNA)