COTABATO CITY – More than 400 students of a state-run college here are currently undergoing an extensive training on communication skills in English which is geared to improve the students employability once they finish their tertiary degrees.

The Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC) is the latest institution to partner with the Growth with Equity in Mindanao’s (GEM) project dubbed Job Enabling English Proficiency Project (JEEP).

Arbaya A. Haron-Boquia, a JEEP facilitator, said there is an advantage for one to undergo communication skills trainings such as JEEP as most companies would require employees with a good command of the English language.

JEEP comprises two groups of courses offered to qualified college students. The first, called JEEP-start, lasts for a year and includes computer-assisted instruction to develop advanced general English language skills.

William J. Burns, US Undersecretary for Political Affairs, personally visited CCSPC to meet with students benefitting from the program as he emphasized the role of the US government in providing support to the country.

“We will continue to help build a better future for Mindanao and the (entire) Philippines in the spirit of mutual respect. That’s the same spirit that applies in our effort to support development. We will continue to become supportive as we can,” Burns said in an interview with reporters here.