Identifying Barriers and Their Impact on Community Empowerment through Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Mindset for Poverty Alleviation

This study aims to assess the barriers to community empowerment through skills training and developing an entrepreneurial mindset from creating sustainable business opportunities in Barangay Tejero, downtown Cebu City, to mitigate poverty. Poverty remains a pervasive issue globally, hindering opportunities, threatening futures, and impacting the lives of families trapped in its cycle. The United Nations has prioritized eradicating poverty within its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, addressing economic well-being, environmental protection, and societal development. Despite these global efforts, many local communities face significant barriers to accessing the resources and opportunities needed for economic empowerment. This study uses descriptive statistics from surveys, observations, and interviews of the identified beneficiaries. Based on the findings, the conflict between household duties and training involvement creates unfairness, especially for women and those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, potentially leading to further marginalization and limited prospects for advancement and there is a need for collaboration between national organizations, non-governmental entities, and industry partners to address these barriers. To address these barriers, setting clear learning objectives and providing free customized training on flexible schedules should be taken into consideration before conducting the community extension work.