At least 3,904 local jobs aside from foreign job vacancies will be offered during the “World Café of Opportunity” (WCO) job fair on August 23 at the Baguio Convention Center, officials said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing, Jimmicio Daoaten, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) assistant regional director and concurrent Abra provincial director, said the event is an opportunity for jobseekers “to promote the importance of technical vocational skills which are needed by the industries.”

Aside from the TESDA, the jobs fair will be joined by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Public Employment Services Office-Baguio, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Science and Technology, among others.

“The technical training provided to industries will help our people get employment or be equipped with the capacity to earn a living for them to become useful members of society,” Daoaten said.

He noted that TESDA’s goal is not just to enroll and train the people, but also to link them for employment through job facilitation.

The WCO forms part of the Technical Vocational Week celebration that brings together organizations and agencies, pulls together resources, and provides job opportunities for employment or income generation.

The job fair will focus on work vacancies related to construction, agriculture, tourism, information technology, and business process outsourcing aside from wholesale and retail economic activities.

“There will be job linking, networking services, guidance and training for employment, and information, education, and communication,” Daoaten said.

PESO-Baguio head Romelda Escaño said 25 local establishments and five overseas agencies have so far committed to join the event

She said they opted to hold the event at the Baguio Convention Center to allow persons with disabilities to access the venue and participate through an application.

She advised applicants to wear appropriate clothing, be prepared for interviews and examinations, and have multiple copies of documents.

“Make sure that the National Certification document is still valid because that is only good for five years from the date of issuance. You have to update it before the job fair,” she said.

High placement

Escaño said the Bureau of Labor Statistics under the Philippine Statistics Authority has noted that in the past job fairs, the city showed a hiring rate of about 20 percent, which is higher than the 15 percent national average.

She said this could be due to the status of the city as an educational center and the high passing rate of students in licensure examinations and the performance rating of schools and universities.

Nathaniel Lacambra, DOLE-Cordillera Administrative Region director, said the agency’s involvement during the job fair will be on employment counseling, distribution of information education materials about the rights of workers, and other available services at their office.

Legal personnel will also be at the site to give legal advice to those who need it, he added. (PNA)