A lawmaker called on the national government to establish digital literacy programs for disadvantaged youth, saying the initiative would equip them with skills needed to expand opportunities in an increasingly digital world.

In a statement, Solid North Partylist Rep. Ching Bernos said that providing digital literacy training for individuals that are unable to enroll for tertiary or higher education improves their chances to get employed for more work.

Bernos noted that the digital and remote job sector was on the hunt for particular skill sets and abilities that could be learned through the use of targeted training.

“Such training could be of particular use to our senior high school graduates who have not been able to enroll for college and would like to find jobs that would help sustain higher studies in the near future," she said.

The solon further stated that the workshops could be conducted through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which presently offers various digital, communication technology, and artificial intelligence courses.

Notably, TESDA also offers free scholarship programs for particular training with some offering daily allowance and national certification assessments.

With the established institution at hand, Bernos asserted that such programs should cater more for students that were forced out-of-school due to an inability to afford such education.

“The sad reality is that many young Filipinos who wish to enter higher learning institutions are unable to because they do not have the means, and we only have so many scholarship slots to give,” she said.

Bernos said that giving the youth an opportunity to work would in turn allow them to save up and pursue their dream to finish school on their own means.

In a study conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority last 2024, nearly 11 million children aged between five to 24 years old were out-of-school–equating to 25 percent of the entire population within the age range.