One of the government projects to help students from underprivileged families is the Special Program for Employment of Students. This program is mandated under Republic Act No. 9547, also known as…
“An act to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations, through incentives granted to employers, allowing them to pay only sixty per centum of their salaries or wages and forty per centum through education vouchers to be paid by the government, prohibiting and penalizing the filing and fraudulent and fictitious claims and for other purposes.”
This program aims to develop the intellectual capacities of poor children and at the same time harness their potentials for the country’s well-being. It is open to high school, college, vocational students and even drop-outs.
To qualify for the SPES program, the student should pass the following criteria:
- 15-25 years old
- enrolled during the present school year/term or during the school year/term immediately preceding the summer vacation
- dropout who intend to continue his education
- parents’ combined net income after tax, including his own, if any, does not exceed P36,000 per annum
- garnered a passing grade during the school year/term referred above or in case of dropout, the last year/term attended
- his/her parents has been displaced or about to be displaced due to business closure or work stoppage provided he/she meets a, b and d above.
Employers who would want to participate in the program and hire student applicants can also apply granted that the person or entity has employed at least 50 workers at any given time during the past 12 months.
Students who would want to partake in the program need to pass the following requirements at Department of Labor and Employment Regional/District/Provincial Office, Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), or other authorized entities;
- Duly filled Registration Form 01 (3 copies) with ID pictures attached and attested by the school principal or registrar.
- Any of the following to attest his/her age:
- Birth/baptismal certificate
- Form 138 where age is specified
- Joint Affidavit of two disinterested parties pertaining to the age of student.
- Any of the following to attest the students’ rating:
- Form 138 (High School Report Card)
- Certification by School Registrar that the student has a passing school grade during the previous semester/school year
- Certified true copy of the student’s class card where his/her passing could be determined
- Latest Income Tax Return of the Parents / or a certification from the employer/union president that the parent of the applicant is to be displaced or have been displaced.
Download here: Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) 2017 Application Form
Meanwhile, employers may submit their intent to hire students by signing a Pledge of commitment and submitting it to the nearest PESO/DOLE Regional Offices. Interested students are encouraged to course their employment to authorized government offices like DOLE and PESO so they would be protected from abuse and scams.