BAGUIO CITY – To make available temporary employment opportunities for financially challenged students to keep them in school and support them continue their education, the Department of Labor and Employment–Cordillera Administrative Region (DOLE-CAR) partnered with various local government units in the CAR to implement the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES).
Regional Director Nathaniel V. Lacambra stated that the SPES is not just a bridging mechanism that enables student beneficiaries to gain skills and workplace experience but also provide temporary employment opportunities for financially challenged students to keep them in school and support them continue their education by allowing them to work and make their school break a productive one while easing their financial burdens.
“These transformative initiatives offer invaluable practical experience, nurture essential skills, and provide networking opportunities, playing a crucial role in molding well-rounded professionals ready to thrive in the increasing Filipino workforce “Lacambra added.
SPES offers part-time employment to students during their vacations, enabling them to earn money to support their education while gaining real-world work experience. This exposure enhances their skills and boosts their competitiveness in the job market. Beyond financial relief, SPES fosters social responsibility and opens doors to future opportunities, laying the groundwork for professional growth.
Vallerie Hidalgo, born in Baguio City and daughter of a government employee and a housewife, grew up dreaming to earn the best education possible with a strong ambition of becoming a professional someday. She knew that going to college will be very expensive and her parents may have difficulty in providing her the finances needed for her college education.
Upon learning of the SPES from an acquaintance, Hidalgo wasted no time and immediately applied as one of the beneficiaries. Luckily, she was accepted as a SPES beneficiary at the city government under the Office of the City Mayor and the city’s Public Employment Service Office consecutively and in the year 2020, Hidalgo earned her degree in Bachelor of Science in Developmental Communication at the Benguet State University.
She also earned the tag name SPES baby, a label given to a SPES beneficiary who has availed of the program during the whole duration of college until graduation, receiving a salary coming from a partner employer sixty percent (60%), which on the part of City Government of Baguio, and from DOLE is forty percent (40%).
After graduation, Hidalgo applied for the Government Internship Program (GIP) with the DOLE-Baguio Benguet Field Office (BBFO) and after two months, she was promoted as TUPAD Coordinator until her elevation to Livelihood Development Specialist (LDS) of the DOLE–CAR Regional Office to the present.
Meanwhile, in CY 2024 the DOLE-CAR has provided temporary employment to a total of four thousand thirty – eight (4,038) poor but deserving students, out-of-school youth, and dependents of displaced or would-be displaced workers.
A total of 931 SPES beneficiaries’ in Abra; 361 in Apayao; 226 in Baguio City; 743 in Benguet; 482 in Ifugao; 603 in Kalinga and 692 in Mt. Province and were assigned to various Local Government Units in the provinces and city where they are situated.
Interested students and out-of-school youth (OSY) who plan to be a part of SPES, the qualifications are as follows: Students or OSY at least 15 but not more than 30 years of age; the combined net income after tax of parents, including his/her own, if any, does not exceed the regional poverty threshold; Students must have obtained a passing general weighted average; and OSY must be certified by the local Social Welfare and Development Office as OSY. By ptrillorta
