Tuguegarao City—To support the thrust of the government to provide sustainable interventions to disadvantaged youth to improve their plight and condition and to empower them through skills training and assistance towards gainful employment and entrepreneurial activities, Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 02 headed by Regional Director Violeta A. Cruz launched the Cash-For-Training (C4TP) Program held in Tuguegarao City.

 The Cash-for-Training program is a nationwide joint project of DSWD and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

 Qualified beneficiaries of this program are the disadvantaged youth who have been assessed as eligible under the expanded Government Internship Program of the DSWD, must be 18 to 30 years old, out of school youth (OSYs) both elementary and high school graduate, college graduate without employment and they must also come from indigent families.

 The DSWD will give financial assistance of P20, 000 pesos per beneficiary, does the profiling and identifying of youth beneficiaries through its Local Government Unit counterpart while TESDA will be in charge on skills training and development.

The P20, 000 pesos per beneficiary will be allotted for scholarship vouchers, assessment fee, entrepreneurship, allowance, tool kits and training cost.

In her message, Director Violeta A. Cruz encouraged the beneficiaries to maximize the opportunities given to them so that in return they will help their families to augment their financial needs.

Director Cruz also emphasized that the program empowers the disadvantaged youth through skills training and assistance that will enable them to practice trade and venture into gainful occupation.

This anti-poverty convergence project of DSWD and TESDA will benefit 4,695 youth regionwide with total budget worth P93, 900,000.00. ### By Angely M. Lubo, DSWD Regional Information Officer