Over 1,100 poor Manileños have become skilled workers through the job-and-livelihood skills training program of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
In congratulating the 1,147 new graduates of the Manila Manpower Development Center, Estrada said he hopes the skills they learned would help them land jobs or start their own small businesses.
“Manila, our city, has the highest rate of poverty incidence and the most number of jobless individuals. This program is just part of our unending efforts to provide you with all your needs to find a job or start up your own businesses,” Estrada said during the graduation ceremonies for the MMDC graduates at the City Hall.
Under the supervision of the Manila Department of Social Welfare, MMDC offers underprivileged residents free 20-day courses on various skills and programs such as Hotel and Restaurant Services, Massage Therapy, Barista, Cooking and Food Preservation, Baking, Beauty Care, Unisex Haircutting, Solar Nightlight Assembly, Garment Trade, Silkscreen, Fashion Jewelry Making, Curtain Making, Manicure/Pedicure, Beads Assembly, Throw Pillow Making, and Dressmaking.
MDSW chief Nanet Tanyag said the 1,147 graduates belong to the March, April, and May batches; one of the successful graduates was a Tondo resident who was born without a right leg.
“We’ve been telling them that physical disability is never a hindrance to work hard and improve their lives. With these courses, they can even be hired abroad,” Tanyag said.
Tanyag cited the case of Sarah Villarama of Tondo who completed Throw Pillow- Making and Curtain-Making courses despite having only one leg.
Villarama, whose mother died while giving birth, lives with her grandfather and aunts. She said she will be putting up a small tailoring shop.
Tanyag said all the graduates are automatically enrolled to the city government’s Capital Assistance Program that provides initial capital to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Since 2013 when Estrada put up CAP, thousands of indigenous Manileños who wanted to have their own businesses have been provided with a start-up capital of P5,000 to P10,000. The program has produced standalone stores, food kiosks, and other backyard businesses which provided extra income to the beneficiaries and helped with their day-to-day expenses.
In 2016, a total of 5,577 Manileños graduated from the MMDC’s short-term courses, at least 267 of whom immediately landed jobs related to the course they took such as Hotel and Restaurant Services, Massage Therapy and Barista, the top three courses with most number of enrollees and corresponding graduates every year, according to MDSW.
A greater bulk of the graduates have put up their own small businesses, Tanyag said, noting that this is usually the goal of many enrollees of MMDC especially those who would take up Beauty Care, Unisex Haircutting and Manicure/Pedicure courses.
Every year, many enrollees to MMDC courses would come from the ranks of the out-of-school- youth, mothers and jobless individuals.
Apart from these regular courses, the MMDC also conducts one-day short courses in communities and for different groups such as barangays and neighborhood associations. These short courses are: Perfume-Making, Dishwashing, Herbal Soap Making, pan de sal, Siomai and Noodles Making, Fabric Softener Making, Powder Detergent, Silkscreen, Liquid Bleach, Candle Making, Meat Processing (Ham), and Peanut Butter Making.