JobStart Philippines

Who, When, Where

In 2011, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines launched the pilot project, Job Start Philippines (JPS), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project was designed and developed to support and provide guidance to at-risk youth in becoming job-ready. In funding the JPS programme, the ADB and the Government of Canada have supported the project with a grant through technical assistance. 

Problem Statement

The Philippines is experiencing a number of young Filipinos in NEET i.e. Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training. It creates issues for the country regarding the future of the youth in the Philippines. Youth unemployment is quite high and about one in four of the youth are categorised as NEET. There are a number of factors that contribute to this rate: job-skills mismatch in the labour market; a lack of labour market information available to young people; and insufficient employment services for at-risk youth. The problems with those in NEET can contribute to higher rates of poverty and income inequality in the long-run, therefore the country faces the need to create wage jobs in order to offer solutions to this problem. 

Description of Initiative

The JobStart Philippines Program is an employer-led programme that assists at-risk youth by providing guidance in starting their careers and skills enhancement through formal or technical training. This focus shapes the youths responsiveness to the demands of the job market, and provides better integration opportunities into productive employment. By investing in this initiative and programme, it encourages employment creation and the employability of workers; increase their earning capacity; and enhance integration into the productive workforce, which will help alleviate some of the problems the Philippines will encounter in the future. 

The programme offers the following:

• Life Skills Training
• One-on-one career coaching
• Opportunities for technical training and internships with private sector employers.

Description of Solution

Since 2011, there has been a lot of praise regarding the success of the program, which has led to the DOLE converting the JSP into the departments flagship programme. The institutionalisation of the programme by the Government of the Philippines highlights the importance of the initiative and the solutions for concerns regarding poverty and income inequality amongst those who are considered to be NEET. The pilot project successfully achieved 1,471 internships and job placements after training was completed. Moving forward, the ADB extended their partnership with DOLE and continue to support the JPS programme through an approved loan worth $400 million, which is to support a second sub-programme of a policy-based Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Programme. This support ensures that young Filipinos will have access to job opportunities and to create a better future for those in NEET.

To read through an overview of the JPS programme, click here.

References

• Asian Development Bank. (2020) Giving Hope to Young Filipinos through JobStart Philippines. Available from: https://www.adb.org/news/features/giving-hope-young-filipinos-through-jobstart-philippines
• Bird, K. (2018) Reducing Youth Not in Employment, Education, or Training through JobStart Philippines. Available from: https://www.adb.org/publications/reducing-youth-not-in-employment-education-philippines