In its efforts to prepare out-of-school youth transition to further education and training, the Opportunity 2.0 team from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) conducted an online back-to-back Pathways Orientation to 40 Alternative Learning System (ALS) graduates.
Loucille Alcala-Dabhi, Opportunity 2.0 Youth Development Coordinator for Tagbilaran shared: “the orientation consisted of various activities that will guide our out-of-school youth about the different pathways available for them through the Opportunity 2.0 program. They were also informed about the different upcoming trainings that will lead to employment, entrepreneurship, or further education, depending on their preferences and skills.”
In the duration of the orientation, the two batches of ALS graduates learned about Opportunity 2.0’s Work Ready Now Curriculum which includes trainings on Work-Based Learning (WBL), a course that exposes the out-of-school youth to first-hand experience from local workplaces and Be Your Own Boss (BYOB), which consists of practical activities in preparation for entrepreneurship.
The Pathways Orientation was also attended by representatives from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute, City Social Welfare and Development Office and the Department of Trade and Industry, who are members of the local Youth Development Alliance (YDA). The representatives of the various agencies also presented the different programs of their office for our out-of-school youth.
Opportunity 2.0 is a five-year (2020-2025) program funded by the USAID that will improve the learning and earning outcomes of out-of-school Filipino youth by working with key stakeholders from government, industry and academia to strengthen the education, training and employment systems at the national and local level.