Project profile — Support for the JobStart Philippines Program Rollout

• Philippines (100.00%)

• Basic Education: Basic life skills for youth and adults (11230) (35.00%)
• Secondary Education: Vocational training (11330) (30.00%)
• Population Policies/Programmes And Reproductive Health: Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (5.00%)
• Other Social Infrastructure And Services: Employment policy and administrative management (16020) (30.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (principal objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to establish a nationwide JobStart Program in the Philippines. At least 24,000 youth (60% young women) are provided access to gender-sensitive, employment-related life skills training (including reproductive health) and on-the-job experience, thereby increasing their chances of finding decent long-term employment. In the Philippines one in four young people are not employed or enrolled in education, or training, with even higher rates amongst young women and those coming from low-income families. The JobStart Program (JSP) works with the private sector to assist youth to become job-ready. Providing youth with decent jobs is vital to reducing gender inequalities and poverty. By helping youth become productive members of society through the JSP, combined with other national programs to lower the country's fertility rate, the Philippines has the opportunity to reap the benefits of its young population. JSP aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 8) and the Government of the Philippines' (GoP) goal to reduce poverty. This project is expected to transition to a fully funded GoP program by 2020 and build on the successful GAC-supported pilot of the JSP Program (2014-2016) also administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) 1100 Strengthened provision of gender-sensitive employment support services to youth, especially women, by DOLE and PESOs in targeted local government units in the Philippines; and (2) 1200 Increased employability of youth, especially women, in targeted local government units in the Philippines.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2022) include: (1) 28,819 youth (56% women) accessed JobStart Program (JSP) services, such as gender-sensitive employment-related life skills training and on-the-job experience. 11,780 trainees (65% women) completed the JobStart entire training cycle, with 62% securing job placements upon graduation. 19,060 youth (57% women) graduated from the Life Skills Training component, representing a 94% graduation rate; (2) 51 local government units implemented JSP; (3) conducted 44 training and capacity-building activities for JSP unit staff; (4) 806 trained JSP unit staff delivered services at the Department of Labor and Employment Central Office and the Regional and Field Offices; (5) conducted 43 training and capacity-building activities for Public Employment Service Office (PESO) staff; (6) 707 trained PESO staff delivered Life Skills Training; and (7) 122 trained PESO staff provided career guidance and coaching.

• Proactive disclosure