Cotabato City—The Education Development Center (EDC) paid a courtesy visit to Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) on Friday, June 24, in Cotabato City.
EDC representative Tonton Dela Cruz presented the Opportunity 2.0 Program to BYC Chairperson Marjanie Mimbantas Macasalong to explore areas of collaboration.
Macasalong said while BYC is recalibrating its programs to its policy-making and coordinating functions, the Commission still considers implementing youth engagement programs at the grassroots.
“For the past three years, we have been partnering with government and non-government agencies to engage and capacitate the youth in the ground,” Macasalong added.
Both entities agreed to establish a collaboration on the Opportunity 2.0 program that aims to provide education and employment to out-of-school youth (OSY) in Cotabato City.
Under the program, identified OSYs will be enrolled in Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). They will also undergo training on 21st century skills, entrepreneurship, employment, among others.
Opportunity 2.0 is a five-year program of EDC and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that provides second-chance education to 180,000 OSY across 15 cities of the Philippines that lead to their successful employment and livelihoods. (BYC PR Unit)
