BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DTI-CAR) is urging fresh graduates and those graduating soon to consider going into business instead of aspiring to be employees.
“We are inviting potential and interested graduates to go into business,” Myrna Pablo, DTI-CAR regional director said during the press conference for the job and livelihood fair on Wednesday.
Pablo said engaging in business will not only generate income for the entrepreneurs but it will allow them to create new job vacancies that in turn, will provide livelihood for others.
The DTI’s call to the youth comes as various national line agencies in the region, including the city government, get ready for the annual Labor Day jobs and livelihood fair on May 1.
Colleges and universities in Baguio and Benguet will be closing the school year in May, making the job and livelihood fair more relevant to the graduates, who are about to embark on a new chapter of their lives.
Pablo said fresh graduates and other aspiring entrepreneurs can visit the “Negosyo Center” which will be extending its services from its booths at the Baguio City National High School.
She said that aside from providing business counseling, it will also host a business forum to guide prospective entrepreneurs on how to get started.
“Those who want to start a business but do not know what business to engage in or those who want to start a business but do not know where to start, we have business counselors at the venue who can help them,” Pablo said in Filipino.
She said the DTI’s contribution to the event is to help create a mindset favoring entrepreneurship as an alternative to employment.
“We are pushing for entrepreneurship because it creates a domino effect of job generation,” where the government’s assistance to one can multiply the result by providing employment to others in the business venture to be put up.
Future or prospective entrepreneurs may also be aided by the government by way of loan assistance, she added.
Pablo said the Small Business Corporation (SBC), which provides loans intended for the capitalization of micro, small and medium enterprises will also be at the jobs and livelihood fair.
The DTI also requested loan providers to put up a special window for start-up businesses which are expected to undergo “birth pains,” she said.
Meantime, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assistant regional Director Jesus Atal said the government agencies are merging their efforts to provide more options for people seeking livelihood.
“If they cannot find a job fitted for them, maybe they can find a livelihood that will interest them. If not, they can approach the booth of the TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) for additional skills they can use to be employed or go into business,” Atal said.** PNA
