The Department of Agriculture hosted the “Second Youth in Agriculture Summit” held at the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Salvador H. Escudero III Hall last April 21, 2022.
During the said summit, DA-BAFE Assistant Director Juana T. Tapel, PhD presented the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering’s initiative to provide relevant work experience for the youth.
Asst. Dir. Tapel discussed the Government Internship Program for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers or GIP for ABE Youth. The internship program is based on Section 24 of the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law (AFMech Law) which mandates DA and its attached bureaus to strengthen the provision of agricultural and biosystems engineering services on the implementation of agri-fisheries mechanization, infrastructure, and engineering programs and projects.
One of the objectives of the GIP for ABE Youth, according to Asst. Dir. Tapel, is to augment the delivery of agricultural and biosystems engineering services in support to the implementation of agri-fisheries mechanization, small-scale irrigation, farm-to-market roads, postharvest facilities and other infrastructure projects of DA.
The program also aims to provide employment opportunities for licensed and BS Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering graduates through the DA Regional Field Offices, and local government units in provinces and municipalities throughout the country.
GIP for ABE Youth enhances the competencies of young licensed ABE graduates in the implementation of agricultural and fisheries projects. The internship program also seeks to create a pool of ABEs who would eventually be employed in DA in regular plantilla positions.
DA-BAFE partnered with DA regional offices and attached agencies, the Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Local Employment (DOLE-BLE) and DOLE regional offices in the implementation of the internship program.
The Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers (PSABE) and higher educational institutions (HEIs) are also DA-BAFE’s partners in the implementation of GIP for ABE Youth, said Asst. Dir. Tapel. There are almost 60 state colleges and universities (SUCs) all over the country that offer Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering course.
DOLE, through its regional offices, provides the interns’ salaries while DA provides travelling expenses, orientation and training. The duration of the internship program is a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months. The interns gain relevant experience by assisting in the formulation and updating of mechanization plans, FMR network plans, and other agri-fisheries infrastructure projects among others.
Licensed ABEs, new graduates with no work experience, aged 21 to 30 years old are eligible to join the GIP for ABE Youth. Interested applicants may apply every January and July by submitting the application form to BAFE or the nearest DA Regional Field Office.
A total of 256 ABEs interns participated from the GIP for ABE Youth in 2021 – 110 from the first batch deployed from March to August and 146 from the second batch deployed from September to December. Two of the interns became topnotchers (Top 1 and Top 4) in the 2021 ABE licensure examination, Asst. Dir. Tapel said.
For 2022, there are 152 interns for Batch 1 (deployed last March) and 159 interns for Batch 2 (to be deployed in September). The interns are assigned to the Regional Agricultural Engineering Divisions (RAEDs) of DA regional field offices, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), and Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA). ###???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????