Some 50 scholars are undergoing a two-month training on digital platforms under the Digital Jobs Project, which is sponsored and conducted by Masbate-based mining firms Filminera Resources Corporation and Phil Gold Processing & Refining Corporation (PGPRC).
The multi-million peso project has put up a Community BPO Training Center, training facilities and supplies, recruited faculty, provided millions of pesos for trainees’ allowance, set up a systematic job search and placement system. The trainees come from the Montana Relocation Site in Barangay Bangon, Aroroy.
The two mining firms have partnered with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), which provided faculty to train the scholars in these digital courses: virtual assistance, web development, search engine optimization, graphic design, e-commerce, online bookkeeping, among others.
Initial feedback from deployed trained scholars is encouraging, according to Benjamin Magalgalit, PhilGold social development management program (SDMP) supervisor.
For example, a highly trained PWD is now earning more than US$2,000 a month as website content developer, while a farmer is earning US$1,000 a month as BPO manager specializing in Search Engine Optimization.
