By: Delaila Irma T. Calindas, Project Technical Staff II

The latest batch of aspiring youth entrepreneurs in Kalinga has completed the YEP-Project MARITES 2024 training, with 16 out of the 21 participants emerging as beneficiaries of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA). The training was held from July 23-26, 2024, at the RDE Hall of Kalinga State University – Main in Tabuk City.

These 16 beneficiaries include nine students benefiting from the Free Higher Education program, four from the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), and three from the Tulong Dunong Program. Over the course of the four-day training, these young entrepreneurs were equipped with essential entrepreneurial skills, including fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, crafting their business model canvases, and refining their business ideas.

Ms. Eleanor Saludares from the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Ifugao Provincial Office led the training sessions as the master trainer, imparting valuable knowledge and guidance to the participants. The program culminated in a business pitch competition, where the top three participants were awarded business starter toolkits, generously provided by the DTI.

The YEP-Project MARITES initiative continues to empower young individuals across the region, helping them translate their ideas into viable business ventures. As these new entrepreneurs step into the world of business, they carry with them the skills and confidence gained from this impactful training program.

Project MARITES, or Mobilizing Available Resources through Inclusive Training on Entrepreneurship of Student-Grantees, is the brainchild of CHED-CAR Regional Director Dr. Demetrio P. Anduyan Jr. The project aims to equip beneficiaries of programs under the UAQTEA, particularly those under TES, with essential entrepreneurial skills. This initiative emerged from CHED-CAR’s monitoring efforts, which revealed that some beneficiaries had used their stipends to start their own businesses.

Now in its third year, Project MARITES is a collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program. To date, it has benefited over 100 participants.