Thursday, November 02, 2006 Councilor lauds Mormons' job resource center
COUNCILOR Pilar C. Braga lauded the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Employment Resource Service (ERS) Center Tuesday for "the service and assistance it is giving to Dabawenyos and its contribution in creating a better business and investment landscape for the city."
The Church of the Latter-Day Saints opened an ERS Center to help members and non-members find jobs suited to their skills and aptitude. Assistance is also extended to entrepreneurs who would like to set-up a small business.
The Davao City ERS office is part of the worldwide LDS humanitarian operation that aims to help individuals become career self-reliant through employment, education and/or self-employment.
The ERS Center offers four types of services: Trainings to help individuals plan their career, find opportunities and interact with contacts; Resource information in terms of a database on job resources, small business, education and other self reliance resources including interactive meetings with resource persons; Business equipment and facilities like telephone, fax and copy machines for employment-related needs; and placement for applicants and contacts for suppliers who have established linkage with ERS.
The ERS Center is equipped with state-of-the-art communication technology that can facilitate speedy access to information. It's a one-stop shop for career planning and the best part is that the center's services and facilities are for free.
According to Braga, the ERS Center is a noble mission because it helps individuals become productive members of the community.
It has also given Davao City another edge in terms of increasing employment and providing more doors for small entrepreneurs, she added.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, ERS Centers Area Manager for Mindanao Philip Tan said they have an average of 200 to 300 visitors per month since they opened in September 12 of this year.
Non-members comprise a larger number of jobseekers who come to the center while member-visitors comprise only about 40 percent of the total population, he said.
Tan added that the number is still slow traffic to them compared to their Cebu office, which has about an average of 900 visitors per month.
The ERS Center in Davao City, however, is expecting to have more visitors in the coming months.
The LDS ERS Center is located at the 8th Floor of the Landco Corporate Center and is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (GLP)
