POE PROPOSES ONE-STOP SHOP OF GOV'T REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW GRADUATES

New college graduates should be provided a one-stop shop or a single facility which could process employment requirements such as social security number, police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, PhilHealth and PAG-IBIG membership, tax identification number (TIN) and other documents from the National Statistics Office.

This was underscored by Sen. Grace Poe in a recent talk with students of the Asian College of Technology International Education Foundation (ACTIEF) in Cebu City.

And in the case of indigent graduates, these requirements should even be given out for free, she added.

"Para hindi na umalis at pumunta pa sa iba't ibang lugar. At kung maaari ay libre na yang mga requirements na 'yan," Poe said.

The senator pointed out that, as it stands, new graduates have had to deal with the stress and anxiety of finding a job, moreover, a job that truly corresponds to what he or she studied for. And providing a one-stop shop for these employment requirements would be the least the government could do to make things easier for them.

"Ang pinamakamalaking sektor na walang trabaho ay ang mga kabataan, nagkakaroon tuloy ng job mismatch. Ang problema kasi niyan, minsan,nag-graduate sa isang kurso pero wala namang demand o kulang sa certification or compliance kaya hindi tinatanggap," she said.

Based on the latest preliminary figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority last September, unemployment was 6.5 percent in July 2015, or about 4.33 million people.

Of the total jobless Filipinos, 3.46 million people, or around 80 percent of the unemployed, were in the 15 to 34 age group.

As such, Poe is batting for more coordination among the Departments of Labor, Trade and Industry, the private sector and universities to map out strategies to enhance the chances of new graduates.

And one such strategy could be the enhancement of internship programs.

"Katulad ng ating mga nursing o kaya iyong mga hotel and restaurant management o mga information technology graduates. Dapat talaga palakasin ang internship programs," proposed Poe, who is pushing for the approval of Senate Bill No. 2946, or an Act institutionalizing the government internship program (GIP), which, she authored.

Under Poe's proposal, all government interns who are able to fulfill their duties shall receive 70 percent of the Step 1, Salary Grade 1 for government personnel. This is equivalent to a monthly pay of P6,750, to be given every 12th and 27th of the month.

The bill also mandates government offices to provide their interns with transportation and meals for activities held outside office; compensatory time off for work done beyond office hours, on holidays and weekends; and incentives and rewards for remarkable performance of duties.

In exchange, all interns will be required to take the civil service examination in order to keep an open mind about government service after their internship period.

"Para habang nag-iinternship kayo at nag-aaral kayo kahit papaano ay may allowance na kayo na makakatulong sa inyo at sa inyong mga magulang," Poe said.