Partner schools of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Pampanga, as well as the provincial government, expressed support to the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP).
With the tagline Harnessing Our Own Resources for the Advancement of the Youth, it will be implemented in partnership with Holy Angel University (HAU), Angeles University Foundation (AUF), Mary the Queen College Pampanga, Inc. (MQCPI), Provincial Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Council (PMSMEDC), and Provincial Government of Pampanga.
During the launching of the program, DTI Pampanga Provincial Director Elenita Ordonio said YEP is a focused program to address the young demographics of the country to become productive individuals through entrepreneurship.
“After graduation you [youth] expect to land a job, but admittedly at times there are not enough opportunities, no available jobs, or sometimes, there are job mismatch. That is why we want to integrate entrepreneurship to address concerns on youth unemployment and out-of-school youth (OSYs) by providing you with opportunities to pursue business and become employers,” Ordonio said.
Components of the program include youth start which aims to stir the entrepreneurial interest and encourage the youth to start their business ventures; youth net where entrepreneurs shall be connected with the right networks that will support them to overcome start up challenges and exchange innovative ideas; and youth match wherein collaboration is an essential tool that enables youth entrepreneurs’ access to new resources that will bolster their businesses.
In support of the program, HAU School of Business and Accountancy Dean Dr. Ma. Lina Ramoneda said this public private undertaking is very much welcome for countryside development, adding that as an HEI, they don’t just focus on turning out graduates who would be joining the workforce as employees but would also want to encourage their students who might want to take this route and become employers themselves.
“This brings us closer to meeting our goal of stirring economic activity and uplifting the lives of more people. Thank you for this opportunity extended to us— to be a solution in countryside development,” Ramoneda said.
Complementing this, AUF College of Business and Accountancy Dean Dr. Chere Yturralde said it is a privilege to be identified as one of the partner schools of DTI for their program in creating entrepreneurs among the youth.
“I for one, given the pandemic, is so sad that we cannot exercise fully that which we intend for our students, especially for the management and entrepreneurship. However, when DTI tapped us to be partner school, I got excited because this is an avenue and another opportunity for our students to hone further their entrepreneurial skills so that in the end, they become employers, not just employees,” she said.
MQCPI Executive Vice President Dr. Mary Rechelle Guzman, for her part, stressed the roles of entrepreneurs in the social and economic context as vital not only in empowering young people today, but also in helping the economy to grow.
“Now that we are in a pandemic, it is a very timely opportunity for us as partner schools, in coming up with this very timely program. The increasing number of entrepreneurial ventures is seen as sources of innovation, productivity, and growth. We are one with you in this entrepreneurial education that can strongly contribute in making the community thrive and become self-sufficient and consequently making an impact in the arena of venture creation,” Guzman said.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the provincial government, Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation President Gabriel Moshe Lacson highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in the communities amidst the current pandemic.
“The pandemic exposed the fault lines in our economy that only entrepreneurship and innovation could address. Among those at the forefront of tackling the crisis are young entrepreneurs sparking rapid technology-driven innovations through creativity, problem-solving skills, and network with public institutions and private sector actors to help the communities cope with their daily lives,” he said. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA 3)