We hire out-of-school youth

Our business in supot-making used to be a family affair, with me and my wife and two children handling all stages of operation and marketing, including production.

Today we have grown and established our market enough to hire workers outside the family. We have taken to hiring teenagers from depressed areas near our place. We prefer them because they are easy to train. We put them on apprenticeship and give them a substantial enough allowance. This way, I like to think, we are helping our young workers avoid the wayward life as well as pick up skills they can use in the future.

Contributed by Roberto Consuegra, Bacolod City