GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/25 April)– The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 12 will launch six major job fairs in the region in connection with the celebration of Labor Day on May 1.
Ofelia Domingo, DOLE-12 director, said five simultaneous job fairs are slated on May 1 in this city, Cotabato City, Kidapawan City in North Cotabato and Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat.
A pre-Labor Day jobs fair will be held on Friday, April 26, in nearby Koronadal City in South Cotabato province, she said.
“A total of 10,596 local and overseas job opportunities will be available for our job seekers in these job fairs,” Domingo said in a statement.
Region 12, also called the Soccsksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
She said the vacancies were based on the reports submitted to DOLE-12 by local companies as well as local and overseas job placement or recruitment agencies that signified to join the scheduled job fairs.
As of their latest count, the official said around 200 companies and job placement agencies based in the region and other major cities in the country will participate in the activity.
An advisory issued by DOLE-12 said the jobs fair on Friday will be held at the Gaisano Grand Mall in Koronadal City.
On May 1, it said the scheduled job fairs will be held at the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City, Kidapawan City Gymnasium, Tacurong City Gymnasium, KCC Mall of GenSan’s Events and Convention Center and at the SM City General Santos.
Patricio Blanza, DOLE Sarangani-General Santos chief, earlier said around 65 companies and employment agencies are joining the job fairs in this city.
He said 40 of them will be offering local job placements while the remaining 25 will offer overseas work opportunities.
Blanza said they are presently conducting pre-registrations for job seekers who will join the jobs fair for them to avail the various services that will be offered during the event.
“The pre-registration includes the enrollment of a job seeker to our skills registry system or database. This way, we can immediately match them with the available jobs opportunities that fit their qualifications,” he said.
He said that job seekers who will avail of the pre-registration, which is open until April 30, may immediately proceed to the interview process with prospective employers or agencies during the event.
To complement the scheduled job fairs, Domingo said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will hold skills demonstration and free certification assessment for residents who have completed National Certification (NC) 2 trainings.
On May 1, she said the Labor Day activities will formally begin with a gathering of employee groups and labor unions at the South Cotabato Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Koronadal City.
The event will be highlighted by the awarding of various livelihood packages and launching of DOLE-12’s Regional Coordinating Council Advocacy Center. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)
