YouthWorks PH

About the Project

YouthWorks PH (YWPH) is an eight-year initiative (2018-2026) that engages industry, academe, government, and other education and employment stakeholders in improving human capital development in the Philippines, especially for those with limited opportunities for upskilling and gainful employment. The project was supposed to run, initially, until 2023, but given the favorable circumstances of a recovering economy, post-pandemic, and presenting an opportunity for continued acceleration of project implementation, the project was extended for another three (3) years. 

The purpose of the project is to improve employment for marginalized, at-risk youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) by contributing to the relevance and quality of workforce development programs. In support of these objectives, YWPH will leverage its links to industry and its partnerships with academe and government to strengthen and expand upskilling and employment pathways for 5,000 youth NEET. This will also empower the youth to share and contribute to the country’s economic growth. By the end of the project, YWPH envisions a strengthened workforce development and higher education system where:

• The private sector can better articulate skills requirements and employment needs to inform training and education opportunities in partnership with education and training institutions.

• Policies and mechanisms are in place to engage the private sector in developing training curricula and institutionalizing training regulations and competency standards.

• New and innovative middle and high-level skills training programs and delivery methods (e.g., blended) are developed and piloted in chosen growth sectors, as among the outputs of the to-be-established Government-Industry-Academe (GIA) Councils in the priority sites.

• Local government units (LGUs) will have increased proficiency in workforce development, mobilizing their respective Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) to fully support the needs of the youth in accessing training and employment opportunities.

• There is an improved perception of out-of-school youth and dropouts among employers, and an enhanced attitude among learners and parents on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), blue-collar work, and middle-level skills.

• There are efforts for more inclusive and gender-fair and responsive workforce development efforts in predominantly sole-gender-centric sectors–promoting inclusiveness in the training process while making parallel efforts to institutionalize and mainstream fair protection and access to employment or further training.

With an enabling environment for workforce development and strengthened stakeholder capacity for youth employability, better opportunities for skills training and competency building will be available to the Filipino youth. Such factors will increase the youth’s access to improved employment and better quality of life.  

For more insights and resources, visit the YWPH Facebook Page: YWPH Facebook Page