Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte underscored the urgency of entrepreneurial mentorship to the youth, particularly for senior high school learners, to address skills mismatch in the country.
“We need to maximize their potential to make our Senior High School learners match their skills and competencies in attaining their future roles in society,” she said in a speech during the DepEd’s 4th Youthpreneur program in partnership with Go Negosyo at the Rizal High School in Pasig City on Monday.
“Youthpreneur enhances financial literacy levels and educates you about viable business ideas, money opportunities, and market linkages,” she added.
Duterte said acquiring these skills poses innovative benefits both for the youth and the society, as learners are given the opportunity to secure alternative career options besides employment.
“To cultivate a culture of innovation and equip the next generation with essential life skills, it is imperative to introduce entrepreneurship education at an early age,” she said.
For his part, Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion III urged learners to take advantage of the mentorship opportunities in the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Your school is going to be very important as a mentoring agent for you to guide you through and eventually as you graduate, the decision to either become an employee, which is nothing wrong about that, and succeed in the professional life or an entrepreneur,” he said.
Earn, invest
Duterte also challenged learners who will join the general workforce to try having their own business for further financial freedom.
“Totoo iyan, paano ba tayo magkakaroon ng pera? Magtatrabaho tayo, mabibigyan tayo ng sweldo. Pero iyong sweldo natin, hindi lumalaki, diba, paulit-ulit lang iyon (That’s true, how can we earn money? We work, we will be paid. But our salary, it’s not increasing, it’s just repetitively the same),” she said.
Duterte said an earned salary might even grow when invested in business or other livelihood projects.
“Paano natin padamihin itong sweldo ko buwan-buwan, dapat maging PHP50,000 ito, hindi lang PHP25,000 at iyong possibility pa na maging PHP100,000 (How can we increase our monthly salaries? This should be PHP50,000 not just PHP25,000, and even the possibility for it to grow into a PHP100,000),” she said.
Duterte also told learners some specific goals, saying that entrepreneurship not only results in financial literacy to meet needs but also achieve wants.
“Hindi pwedeng maging pangarap niyo lang ang manood ng Taylor Swift na concert (It’s not okay that your dream to watch a Taylor Swift concert remains a dream). Gusto ko manood, mag-aaral ako mabuti. Magkakaroon ako ng trabaho, magkakaroon ako ng negosyo. Bibili ako ng ticket, pupunta ako doon sa kung nasaan man iyan si Taylor Swift (I want to watch, I will study hard. I will have a job, I will start a business. I will buy a ticket, I will go wherever Taylor Swift is),” she added.
Concepcion, meanwhile, shared that ‘youthpreneurs’ must focus on the technological trends, particularly in social media, to attain success in the business industry.
He said that even the business sector has shifted from traditional to social media marketing, maximizing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
“Be aware of the changing phase in the lifestyle, in the economy, things to do. Social media has rapidly changed the landscape of how products are being sold today. That is an area that all of you can do,” he said.
Through the Youthpreneur program, SHS learners shall be able to connect with successful business mentors to discuss the dynamics and innovation of entrepreneurship in the country.
To date, the DepEd and Go Negosyo have rolled out the Youthpreneur program in Baguio, Bataan, and Pasig City. (PNA)
