YOUTHWORKS PH, the youth employability partnership between the United States Agency for International Development and the Philippine Business for Education, has partnered with Globe Telecom to provide communications support to around 600 youth for technical-vocational skills training.

Under the partnership, Globe is giving free SIM cards and load allowance valued at around P600,000 to trainees in the Greater Manila Area and Zamboanga City for the pilot of Flexible Training for Work, YouthWorks PH’s program for the youth not in education, employment, and training.

Globe is also providing trainees access to its award-winning Digital Thumbprint Program a series of online workshops aimed at teaching cybersecurity, digital citizenship, and responsible use of technology.

DTP is patterned after the Optus Digital Thumbprint in-school program in Australia, which teaches students how to assess their behavior in cyberspace, allowing them to critically evaluate how their choices are shaped and influenced by the online world.

FTW trainees for the national rollout slated in October will be taught modules available under the DTP.

“Globe firmly believes in providing responsive interventions to the underserved Filipino youth. This partnership is a joint commitment to support high-potential young Filipinos to cope with the challenges brought about by the Covid19 pandemic which disrupted learning, upskilling and employment,” said Ma. Yolanda Crisanto, senior vice president for corporate communications and chief sustainability officer.

Under FTW, trainees aged 18-30 are assigned a mentor, who takes the lead in teaching online modules on communication, professionalism and leadership, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. The program also includes online modules that will teach employment readiness skills such as writing a resumé or preparing for an interview.

Learning will be online and through regular chats and phone calls with the mentor, and eligible trainees will get learning devices and a monthly mobile data and communications allowance to participate. Compared to a face-to-face, formal education setup, trainees will only need a few hours of their day to talk to their mentors and accomplish weekly assignments.

FTW trainees can also study technical-vocational courses either in-person or from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s online program. Trainees who wish to do on-the-job training will be paired with a YouthWorks PH partner company in their area. The project can also facilitate national certification from TESDA.

“We thank Globe Telecom for their generous support to our FTW trainees, and we are certain that their assistance will go a long way in ensuring that our trainees will not be left behind,” Lovelaine Basillote, PBEd executive director and YouthWorks PH chief of party, said.

“This partnership is a testament to the private sector’s commitment to work hand-in-hand with other stakeholders in the education and workforce development sectors.  With this, the youth are given access to programs that will help them become productive and eventually employed,” she added.