Davao Region – amidst the heat of summer; 5, 264 students prefer to make use of their time as SPES Summer Program grantees.
The Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) Summer Program is an alternative for students to be gainfully employed while waiting for another school year to open. It is an employment program initiated by the Department of Labor and Employment to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by encouraging their employment so that they earn income to augment or subsidize their studies. The program is open to students 15-25 years old who possess passing school records. DOLE XI will shoulder 40 percent of the salaries of the grantees while the remaining 60 percent will be shouldered by the participating establishment.
Below is the distribution of SPES grantees per province in Davao Region for the year 2011;
| Province | No. of Participating Establishments | Total Number of SPES Students | ||
| Public | Private | Public | Private | |
| Davao Oriental | 12 | — | 954 | — |
| Davao del Norte | 14 | 2 | 874 | 167 |
| Davao del Sur | 20 | 1 | 1, 088 | 30 |
| Compostela Valley Province | 13 | — | 1, 589 | — |
| Davao City | 3 | 13 | 98 | 464 |
| Sub Total | 62 | 16 | 4, 603 | 661 |
| Total | 78 | 5, 264 | ||
*as per April 8, 2011 DOLE-XI SPES report
The program received an overwhelming response from the local government units in the provinces. In Davao Oriental, LGUs hired SPES beneficiaries to help in clerical jobs and as enumerators. The Province of Davao del Sur hired 600 SPES workers; while most Barangay Local Government Units employed laborers. Davao City, being the center of economic activity, gathered the most number of private establishments who pledged their support to the SPES beneficiaries.
The SPES program is an enabling environment where students are not only hired but also trained to prepare them as potential force to fill the gaps in the labor market. The aim is to empower these students to become productive members of the society and contribute to the demands of the urban and rural economy of the region.
SPES Program started on April 11, 2011 and will end on June 2, 2011.
DOLE XI-lco/ apr 27
With Reports from: Ms Larelie Arce, TSSD
