Gov’t encourages new graduates to avail of local, global opportunities in nationwide job fair

Gov’t encourages new graduates to avail of local, global opportunities in nationwide job fair
As thousands of youths join the country’s labor force following their graduation from school this year, the government, in cooperation with colleges and universities nationwide, is offering a job fair series to bring to them available local or global jobs matching opportunities, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has organized the job fair in the country’s regions to assist new labor force entrants, who are primarily the new graduates of colleges and universities, find productive job opportunities and surmount the global financial crisis.

The Labor and Employment Chief said that importantly, the nationwide job fair dubbed as, “Handog sa mga Kabataan sa Kanilang Pagtatapos,” is complemented by career and employment counseling, as well as other necessary pre-employment services, in time for this year’s graduation season to assist the new entrants to the country’s labor force.

“The nationwide job fair for the benefit of new graduates form part of the DOLE’s employment service strategy to assist new entrants in the face of the current global financial crisis,” he said, adding that the thrust proactively responds to the influx of new graduates to the labor market during graduation season.

Roque cited a report of the DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) that job fairs have continued to play an important role in ensuring opportunities and in pushing back the effects of the global crisis. In a preliminary report, the BLE said that the fairs facilitated the appropriate job search and job-and-skills matching assistance to some 540,337 job seekers who registered in some 1,032 job fairs conducted by DOLE-supervised network of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) across all regions in

Meanwhile, Labor Undersecretary Luzviminda G. Padilla, who is in charge of the DOLE’s Employment and Manpower Development Cluster, directed the DOLE’s Regional Offices (ROs) nationwide to include in their respective action plans for 2009 the conduct of job fairs to assist the new graduates.

Director Maria Criselda R. Sy of the DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), on the other hand, confirmed additional tentative job fair schedules for new graduates hosted by various colleges and universities in the following regions:

National Capital Region (NCR): March 12-13 -- local jobs fair at San Beda College, Manila; March 25 - local jobs fair at J.P. Hall of Freedom, Lyceum of the Philippines, Intramuros, Manila; Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR): March 16-17 – Jobs fair/career forum/PhilJobnet at Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Region 2 (Cagayan Valley): March 14 – local/overseas jobs fair at St. Mary’s University, Nueva Vizcaya; Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula): March 11-13 – local/overseas fair at Universidad de Zamboanga Summit Center in Zamboanga City, along with other, year-round stakeholders forum/job fair for agencies with similar skills requirements, and pre-employment counseling sessions in cooperation with schools/universities in the region; and CARAGA Region: 2nd week of March – job fair/career guidance/pre-employment counseling/job search assistance at Fr. Urios University; March to April – job fair/career guidance at AMA Computer Learning Center at the JC Aquino Drive; and job fair/career guidance/pre-employment counseling/job search assistance at Saint Joseph Institute of Technology, all in Butuan City.

Job fairs had already been conducted in February 2009 at various convenient venues by Feati University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Mapua Institute of Technology, and San Beda College in Metro Manila; the University of the Cordilleras; Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines, Cagayan Colleges, St. Paul University, Cagayan State University and St. Mary’s University in Region 2; Andrew Bonifacio College in Region 9; among others.

Director Sy added that more job fair schedules will be disseminated in all the regions year-round.