In a bid to find out the skills and qualifications applicants need to be hired, the Embassy of France in the Philippines, in cooperation with the French, Filipino-French NGOs, and the French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, recently held the Youth Employability Forum at SMX Mall of Asia.
A joint project of the French Embassy in partnership with SM, the day-long forum included talks from French and Filipino companies, as well as testimonials from NGOs and their beneficiaries regarding employment opportunities and the corresponding skills and qualifications in searching for an employer.
The forum gathered beneficiaries from NGOs to connect with management from the private sector and give them chance to better understand the employment market, meet decision makers in the professional world, and broaden their horizons.
Distinguished guest speakers included His Excellency Nicolas Galey, Ambassador of France to the Philippines.
Department of Labor and Employment Assistant Secretary Alex Avila talked about young worker development projects and programs. Former National Youth Commission Chairman Ice Seguerra, on the other hand, highlighted programs for youth integration.
Other speakers were Director Jerry Clavesillas from Department of Trade and Industry, Rebecca Calzado from Technical Skills Development Authority, Matthieu Cognac from International Labor Organization, and Virginia Pascual of Sodexo.
The speakers focused on and tackled different employment- and industry-related topics like the growth of Philippine trade and industry and providing new jobs, top in-demand skills in the Philippines, youth employment in different regions, and updates on the economic companies’ situation in the country.
These talks were followed by panel discussions with question and answer portions, testimonies of the NGOs, round-table discussions, workshops for preparing curriculum vitae, and one-on-one mock interviews.