The Education Development Center (EDC) has partnered with the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) in implementing the AWARE 2 Project that aims to prepare the ASEAN youth for “full engagement in the digital economy.”

The EDC is a non-profit organization that improves learning and teaching, health and human development, and economic opportunity for people of all ages worldwide. One of their key interventions for the Philippines is AWARE 2, which stands for Accelerating Work Achievement and Readiness for Employment 2. The aim of the project is to increase the employability of ASEAN youth in the digital economy through digital skills development.

In addition to the workforce development model of the project, the EDC is also developing the Employee Quality Index (EQI) tool for employers. The EQI serves as a common measure for gauging employee quality. It is also intended to provide educators and employers with a common vocabulary and set of standards to better align school-based efforts and employers’ needs towards better student participation and higher entry-level employee quality.

In this regard, the AWARE 2 seeks to work with area firms which can participate in the development tool and be early adoptors for using the results for their own quality standards and processes. Partners will have opportunities to discuss and share emerging trends with each other and possibly with other stakeholders.

Participation consists of two phases: (1) an interview with an EQI researcher to help identify input on the most valuable performance measures for entry-level workers, and (2) a short survey to walk the EDC through the elements of their workplace/sector, and identify key performance measures important to employers.

In line with this, ECOP is enjoining members to get involved with the EQI development project. To register and for additional information, please send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].