Poverty remains to be one of the biggest challenges in the Philippines, and it comes in various forms, including in-work poverty.

 

What Is In-work Poverty?

For many of us, we grow up being told that one of the ways to get out of poverty and live a more comfortable life is to get a job. However, a recent study by the World Bank concludes that even Filipino workers are still poor.

Why is this happening? At first glance, we can blame it on underemployment, a situation wherein a person is hired for shorter number of hours, which means take-home pay for daily wage workers is small.

Further:

• Many Filipino workers are paid less than the minimum daily wage.
• The increase in wages doesn’t offset the increase in inflation, which drives prices of commodities up.
• The Philippines has been marketed as a source of cheap labor.

Digging deeper, though, we find the root cause: poverty.

When a person is poor, the chances of sustaining one’s good education are very low. In fact, it’s still common among students, particularly in rural areas that are the poorest in the country, to finish high school and then find work after. Worse, if finances are really tight, they don’t complete even their elementary education.

Students who tend to be deprived of a good education are more likely to have a poor set of skills. Thus, they are less competitive, less attractive in the job market, and more possible to get any kind of job as long as there’s salary to expect.

This also implies that the job opportunities available are limited, and there’s hardly any room for professional improvement or growth. Lastly, they are working on non-secured jobs.

 

What CHP Cebu Has Been Doing

The Center for Healthcare Professions Cebu definitely understands this sentiment. Hence, we’ve been working real hard to reduce the occurrence and consequence of in-work poverty.

We:

• Provide affordable technical vocational courses that are both in demand and are quick to complete. Students therefore have a higher chance of landing a good job as soon as they graduate.
• Help implement the mobile training program, which brings the facilities and instructors to areas that are not yet reached by a state university or college.
• Work closely with government agencies such as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in offering courses that help students become one step closer to getting a professional license or certification.
• Conduct pre-enrollment assessment to ensure that the student’s selected course matches the person’s knowledge, skills, and preferred career path.
• Support government scholarship programs.

Our main goal at CHP Cebu is not only to have as many students educated but also to ensure we give quality education that tests their competence and expertise. This way, by the time they’ve completed their course, they become valuable workers whether here in the Philippines or overseas.

In a perfect world, poverty doesn’t exist, and everyone has the best quality of life. We are not in a perfect world, but we can help change it for the better. You can make your life better.