A Future that Works

About the Project

A Future That Works (AFW) is a 36-month program supported by Australian Government DFAT and implemented by PBEd. The AFW program focused attention and investment on reducing the jobs and skills mismatch to ensure the competitiveness of the industry. The project was part of PBEd’s broader agenda on workforce development, the goal of which is to make education and training more responsive to the needs of the Philippine economy.

These human capital challenges can be addressed through effective workforce development systems, which have (1) high quality and accessible training and education systems, (2) involve industry and private sector partners, and (3) an enabling policy environment. The AFW built coalitions among industry leaders and formed SSCs for selected sectors. The program through the SSCs developed and implemented roadmaps for skills, developed sector-focused labour market reports, and contributed to kick-starting the Philippine economy as it emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AFW drew lessons from the Australian Government’s Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) model formerly the Australian Industry and Skills Committee and their Industry Reference Committees model in pursuit of the double objectives of enabling actors in priority sectors to have a clear shared understanding of evolving skills needs, and for Sector Skills Councils to be established and operationalized to address common challenges in the training and education system.

In collaboration with industry associations, AFW supported SSCs in the following sectors: 1. Analytics and artificial intelligence sector through Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP); 2. Fruit and vegetable processing (F&VP) sector through the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries Human Resources Development Foundation (PCCI HRDF); 3. Semiconductor and electronics (S&E) sector through Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI); and 4. Healthcare sector through the Unilab Foundation, Inc. (ULF).

For more insights and resources, view the AFW Information Package, or visit the Sector Skills PH Facebook Page: Sector Skills PH Facebook Page