THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), on Thursday, forged an agreement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development as part of the government’s effort in providing assistance to disadvantaged youth by giving them free training, helping them to find work and providing a little cash.

Under the Cash-for-Training program, the Social Welfare department will pour in P1.3 billion to train the youth and put them into gainful employment, or assist them start a business later on. For its part, Tesda, through its 126 administered partner institutions, will man the skills training and development of the beneficiaries.

According to Tesda, about 65,730 beneficiaries will start training in December under the Cash-for-Training program. It will run for six months, starting in December to May 2013.

“With the free training, little allowance and assistance for job or small business, what we are offering is a complete package,” Tesda director general Joel Villanueva said in a statement.

Villanueva noted that huge allocation from the government to the program seeks to make a deeper mark on the skills development of poor youth, who are the backbone of every society.

“Technical vocational education and training is an effective alternative learning, but ultimately, it is about employability. The promotion of these components needs to be reinforced in all our programs,” he said.

The beneficiaries will be selected nationwide, with each of the 17 regions having between 3,000 to 4,600 scholars. The Social Welfare department will be in-charge of selecting and profiling the youth qualified as beneficiaries.