BALANGA CITY – A total of 35 entrepreneurship students from the Bataan Heroes College in Balanga City completed a four-day training workshop under the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP).
The agency organized the workshop, titled YEP! You Can Be Your Own Boss (YEP! BYOB), to equip young and aspiring entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and skills for starting and sustaining their own businesses.
DTI Provincial Director Eileen Ocampo highlighted the program’s impact, saying it empowers participants to pursue entrepreneurial ventures with confidence and resilience.
“Through a series of lectures and interactive activities, the students explored key topics such as business planning, financial literacy, marketing strategies, and digital entrepreneurship, among others,” Ocampo said.
The workshop employed participatory, activity-based, and learner-centered approaches to sharpen the participants’ business skills and entrepreneurial mindset.
John Jiemar Dela Cruz, one of the participants, underscored the value of learning from experienced professionals in the business industry.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to join this kind of training. It equips me with business knowledge that’s especially helpful as an Entrepreneurship student. I hope to run my own business in the future, so this is really beneficial,” he said.
Dela Cruz also expressed his gratitude to DTI for their support from the beginning to the end of the program.
The training concluded with a business pitching session, where student teams presented their business concepts to a panel of judges and received constructive feedback to help refine their ideas.
The YEP! BYOB initiative supports the government’s broader goal of promoting inclusive economic growth by fostering innovation and self-employment among the youth. (CLJD/RPQ, PIA Region 3-Bataan)