One hundred eight vendors from Quezon City have successfully completed the first-ever Vendor Business School (VBS) program in the country, equipping them with essential business skills to improve their livelihoods.

A joint project of the CGIAR Resilient Cities Initiative and the Quezon City Government, the 10-week VBS program allowed vendor-students to participate in group sessions on topics such as business record-keeping, sales growth strategies, food safety, customer relations, leadership, climate change adaptation, and crop seasonality. The program also included three months of one-on-one coaching sessions to further support the vendors.

“Nais kong ipaabot ang aking taos-pusong pagbati sa mga nakatapos sa 10-week course sa ilalim ng VBS. Hindi biro ang pagsabayin ang pag-aaral muli at paghahanapbuhay kaya saludo ako sa inyo,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said during the graduation ceremony on Friday, August 23.

“Hangad ko ang inyong tagumpay at umaasa na magagamit ninyo ang nakuha niyong kaalaman para lalo pang mapalago ang inyong negosyo,” she added.

Of the 108 graduates from different private and public markets and temporary vending sites (TVS) across the city, 78, or 72 percent, are females and 30 are males, with 61 students within the 31 to 45 age range. 

The Mayor also announced that 103 graduates have qualified for the city government’s Pangkabuhayang QC (PBQC) Program, which provides capital assistance for small businesses in the city.

Belmonte was joined by Col. Alex Alberto, head of the Quezon City Market Development and Administration Department; Emmanuel Hugh Velasco II, co-chair of the Food Security Task Force; and Dr. Silvia Alonso, co-leader of the CGIAR Resilient Cities Initiative during the graduation ceremony.