More than 5,000 youths from across the Philippines will undergo free technical and vocational training to be provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) in partnership with Aboitiz Construction and D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI).

Aboitiz and DMCI, two of the biggest construction companies in the country, signed the agreements through YouthWorks PH, USAID, and PBEd’s youth employability partnership that gives free skills training opportunities to out-of-school and unemployed youth.

Under the partnership, youth across the Philippines will be allowed to get on-the-job training at the two construction companies and receive additional benefits such as free mentoring, allowance, and potential future employment.

Aboitiz Construction will support up to 3,000 youth in Visayas and Mindanao and train them in various trades by Asiapro Multi-purpose Cooperative, a social enterprise that provides full employment benefits to low-income and marginalized workers in the construction sector.

DMCI, on the other hand, will provide around 2,100 training positions in the Greater Manila Area for youth to learn masonry, steelworks, carpentry, heavy equipment operation, and other trades at the D. M. Consunji Technical Training Center.

With the partnership, USAID hopes to energize the construction sector and open up economic opportunities to Filipino youth who are not in education, employment, and training.

“We are confident that these training programs will make a positive impact on the lives of young people in the Philippines, and empower them to become self-reliant and productive citizens of the country,” USAID Philippines Acting Deputy Mission Director Jenna Diallo said.

PBEd Executive Director and YouthWorks PH Chief of Party Love Basillote emphasized the crucial role of the private sector in promoting workforce development in the country, especially for young Filipinos in need of opportunities.

“Collaborating with the private sector is crucial in ensuring that there is an alignment between the skills we teach our youth and the jobs we open up for them in the future. We thank Aboitiz Construction and DMCI for working with us in this endeavor, and we hope more companies open their doors to our young people who are looking for opportunities to lead productive lives,” she said.

Launched in 2018, YouthWorks PH is a Php1.7-billion workforce development partnership between USAID and PBEd.