Evidence for Impact: Providing Digital Career Support to Youth in the Philippines

Exciting news! SkillLab and Education Development Center (EDC) have renewed their partnership to support young people’s access to employment opportunities in the Philippines. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project Opportunity 2.0 (O2), SkillLab’s application has allowed youth in the Philippines to generate professional CVs and identify new career paths. Survey results from the initial pilot activity indicated that 63 percent of participants felt that SkillLab helped them better articulate their skills. 

Following the pilot’s success, SkillLab and EDC renewed their partnership under the Evidence 4 Impact (E4I) initiative. This initiative aims to support nonprofits to scale their impact by providing digital career, training, and employment services to large numbers of people. This renewed partnership means thousands of young people will receive digital support from SkillLab alongside EDC’s Work Ready Now training. SkillLab will track outcomes and gather feedback from users to better understand the impact of its tool.

At EDC, partnering with private sector organizations to enhance education programming is key to serving youth worldwide. Nada Berrada, international project coordinator at EDC, expressed her enthusiasm for this partnership, stating that “EDC and SkillLab are a great example of a private-sector partnership that centers on youth, giving them access to a tool that allows them to list their skills and identify career possibilities that ultimately can help them muster confidence in their capabilities and potential.”  

Jhon Hayden Bale, training manager of the USAID Opportunity 2.0, commended SkillLab’s digital solution, sharing that it “provides opportunities for our vulnerable yet valuable out-of-school youth to realize their skills and experiences, unlock their potential by owning their strengths and identify their areas of growth, and discover the jobs that best fit their skills and interests.” Through the USAID Opportunity 2.0 project, trainers and local implementation partners will use SkillLab to teach youth how to write a CV and leverage the tool for their career journey. Hayden is eager to continue the partnership with SkillLab and help more young people feel empowered and ready to enter the world of work. 

With such inspiring feedback from the trainers and young users alike, SkillLab’s team is excited to ensure that the current project is even more successful and will continue to gather evidence for impact. With implementation partners such as EDC, the SkillLab team is confident that they can support even more young people in achieving their career goals.