Y1 Progress Reports (June 2018 - September 2019)

From the time it launched in June 2018 to the conclusion of the first year of implementation in September 2019, YouthWorks PH took on the daunting task of carving out its own place in the country’s workforce development ecosystem. This entailed the establishment of crucial partnerships with stakeholders from the government, industry, and academe. In Year 1, the project was able to sign memoranda of understanding with two state agencies, four local government units, three technical training institutions and four private companies. 

The thrust to establish a network of workforce development champions in Year 1 yielded positive results. Of the companies the project established partnerships with, almost 700 training positions have been opened for the project’s flagship work-based training program, a 135% achievement rate. More than 2,200 youth have benefited from the project’s employability training and workshops, and over 3,000 youth signed up online and came to recruitment drives in cities across the country. Notably, as a cooperative agreement that hinged on the project’s capacity to leverage partnerships, the project was able to achieve a leverage amount of PhP 104,881,336.12, exceeding the leverage target of PhP 28, 289,917.10 for Year 1.

Implementing YouthWorks PH, however, is not without its challenges, the biggest of which is the low figure of youth placed in the work-based training programs. Of the 500 placements the project aimed to achieve, only 19 were made in Year 1. Turnover among project staff was also a concern, with staff changing from the highest to the lowest positions in the organizational structure. Launching the project in an election year also affected the coordination work in the project’s target areas.

One notable pivot is the creation of an in-house recruitment team composed of an outreach coordinator and five youth empowerment and recruitment officers -- taking over the responsibility from sub-awardee Edukasyon.ph. It is hoped that with this major change, YouthWorks PH will be able to address the problem of low placement numbers in the work-based training program. Special sites will also be explored in Year 2, with a view of contributing to the project’s targets and success indicators. 

With mixed results accounted for, YouthWorks PH enters its second year with a wealth of practical knowledge gained from implementing the project on the ground. As YouthWorks PH continues to establish itself in the country’s workforce development ecosystem, it will be guided by concrete benchmarks and baselines as it aims for improved results in Year 2.