This program will endeavor to provide employment to deserving students and out-of-school youths and out—of-school youths coming from poor families during summer and/or Christmas vacations as provided for under Republic Act No. 7323 and its implementing rules, to enable them to pursue their education.

Employment of some 17,527 students under the perennial Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES)since 1993 up to the present – 1,165 during the summer of 2006 and 1,766 as of May 23, 2007.

Special Program for Employment of Students

The Special Program for the Employment of Student or SPES was enacted on February 6, 1992 by virtue of  Republic Act no. 7323 entitled, “An act to Help Poor But Deserving  Students Pursue their Education By Encouraging their Employment During  Summer and/or Christmas Vacations, Trough Incentives granted to Employers Allowing Them to Pay Only Sixty Percentum of Their Salaries or Wages and the Forty Percentum Through Education Vouchers to be Paid by the Government, Prohibiting and Penalizing the Filing of Fraudulent or fictitious Claims and For Other Purposes”.

This is a joint undertaking of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Finance (DOF).

The objective of the program is to develop the intellectual capacities of the children from low-income families in order to harness their potentials for the country. Specifically, the program aims to help poor but deserving students to pursue their education by encouraging them their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations by providing them income to finance/augment/subsidize  their studies.

Through the SPES, the DOLE is mandated to facilitate the employment of students and drop-outs during summer and Christmas vacation, in collaboration with various government and private entities, as a means of providing/augmenting their income to pursue their education.

The youth would like to join the program may apply to any DOLE Regional/District/ Provincial Office, Public Employment Service Office or other deputized entities as long as they meet the following requirements:

• 15 – 21 years old;

• Enrolled during the present school year/term immediately preceeding the summer vacation, or a drop-out who intends to continue his/her education;

• Parent’s income after income tax does not exceed P36,000 per annum; and

• Obtained a passing school grade.

  Meanwhile, employers who may wish to participate in the program may signify their intention to hire students by signing a pledge of Commitment to be submitted to the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO)/DOLE Regional Office as long as the said employer has employed at least 50 workers at any given month during the past 12 months.
• As to placements of students, this is being done through the  referral of PESO to the employers who signified their intentions to participate in the program. Students who are accepted by the employers are deemed placed and are officially enrolled in the program. An Employment Contract is then signed by the employer and the employer and the students and is attested by the representative  from the Department. The said  contract shall be submitted to the DOLE regional Office within one week after the start of employment of the students.
• Regular employment of the beneficiary shall not be less than 15 or more than 45 days during summer vacation or less than 10 or more than 15 days during Christmas. The length of employment of students though is dependent upon the discretion of the employers subject to the provisions of the law and his pledge of commitment.
• Beneficiary are paid a salary which as at least equal to the applicable minimum wage for private employees and hiring rate of government. The employers will pay 60% of the salary, while  DOLE will pay the remaining 40%. They are also covered by the insurance for the duration of employment. They are insured under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) covering  death and accident benefits amounting to P10,000.00.
• From 1993 to present, the SPES was able to benefit 1,061,004 students all over the country.