The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental boosts its Provincial Internship Program for Employment (PIPE) that aims to address prevalent issues on job mismatch and underemployment among Negrense graduates.

PIPE is a program implemented by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) – Negros Occidental in coordination with the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program and the local government units of the province.

The first batch of beneficiaries of the program accompanied by PESO – Negros Occidental Manager Gerard Tupas, paid a courtesy visit to Governor Bong Lacson at the Capitol, Tuesday, to thank him of the province’s initiative that enabled them to easily find employment opportunities.

Under the program, graduates are endorsed to undergo a six-month internship with the divisions or departments of LGU offices or government agencies that are discharging functions related to the college courses the student beneficiaries graduated from. Moreover, they receive allowances from the provincial government equivalent to 75 percent of the minimum wage provided by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

In 2019, 10 graduates hailing from Cauayan, San Enrique, La Castellana, , E.B. Magalona, Hinobaan, Calatrava, and the cities of Cadiz, Victorias, Talisay, and La Carlota, who belong to the pioneer batch of program beneficiaries have already undergone internship in different government offices and institutions.

According to PESO Coordinator Sharon Juance, on account of their good work ethics, some of the graduates had already been absorbed and hired by their respective offices and employers./Capitol News