Towards a More Inclusive Philippines

A 2016 labour market review of the Philippines conducted by the World Bank found that workers with higher educational attainment and more skills face a substantially lower risk of poverty than their peers who experienced difficulty accessing education and skills development. The review further suggested that investment in access to quality education is the most effective way to combat in-work poverty.

This finding may explain one of the major barriers to employment of Persons with Disabilities — completing secondary education or technical-vocational training. A majority of Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines are unable to access and participate in school due to poverty and a lack of inclusive and affordable education. Private schools inclusive of Persons with Disabilities typically have high tuition fee rates, thus creating situations where parents can no longer afford to send their children and are forced to stop schooling.

Building a pipeline of skilled Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the Project Inclusion Network (PIN) partners with the UK Aid-funded Skills for Prosperity (S4P) programme — implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) — and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to advance economic empowerment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Since 2013, PIN has implemented programmes facilitating career readiness assistance, skills development, and employment support for a community of 4,000+ Persons with Disabilities.

The access to work model is a flowchart detailing the activities of PIN in its work with job seekers (on the upper left) and employers (on the lower left). This intersects in the middle, showing the collaborative process of PIN with both employers and job seekers (right section of the photo) to achieve improved access to work opportunities.

Persons with Disabilities face daily barriers preventing them from fully participating in skill development and accessing employment opportunities on an equal basis with others. These experiences inform and centre PIN’s work on advocating for government policies and programmes that are inclusive and responsive to the needs of Persons with Disabilities, and industries open to hiring Persons with Disabilities.

PIN is currently conducting research documenting the experiences, successes, and challenges of Persons with Disabilities in accessing and participating in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The results of the research aim to inform the capacity development of TVET providers and regulators to better understand Persons with Disabilities, formulate disability-inclusive policies and programs, and mainstream Persons with Disabilities in TVET and skill development initiatives.

Several focus group discussions with Persons with Disabilities were conducted to get to know the successes and issues they experienced and continue to experience in TVET courses, and the facilitating or hindering factors for a Person with Disability to fully access TVET courses. PIN also gathered initial resources on the status of TVET policies in the Philippines and coordinated with TESDA employees to gather inputs on their policies and programs for Persons with Disabilities. Initial findings from the study informed that accessibility in instructions and lack of mechanism after the training is a concern for some TVET centres. It was also noted that though trainers are accommodating, they lack knowledge in digital accessibility.

Several ILO publications highlighted the importance of mainstreaming TVET for Persons with Disabilities. There has been a growing international interest in both TVET and skills systems, leading both developed and developing countries to invest in, and work towards policy reforms to meet the demand for a skilled workforce in the labour market.

PIN is a witness to the potential of TVET in bridging the employment gap for Persons with Disabilities. The support of their partners enables them to facilitate scholarships to TVET courses and to guide Persons with Disabilities throughout their employment journey, such as:

● Roilan, a person with autism, was rejected by 90+ companies until Project Inclusion supported him in his application to his current job as a Sales Analyst in a local distributor company.

● Roi, a person with a visual disability, was hired as a telesales executive after she graduated from a Contact Centre Services Training facilitated by PIN and a partner TVET provider.

TVET has shown to be a promising solution to bridge the gap of unemployment and underemployment of Persons with Disabilities due to improved skills, self-confidence, and job readiness. Promoting inclusive, accessible, and flexible skills development systems addresses the marginalization of Persons with Disabilities in the labour market and reduces the social and economic impact this represents.

Project Inclusion Network and Philippine Business Disability Network’s private sector members, long-time partners, members of the Persons with Disabilities community, and government and advocacy partners. Photo from July 22, 2022.

About Project Inclusion:

PIN connects businesses to Persons with Disability talent, and capacitates businesses in practising disability inclusion through learning sessions, and technical assistance on accessibility and inclusion in the workplace.

PIN also collaborates with businesses through their corporate citizenship and employee engagement programs to improve workforce participation outcomes for Persons with Disabilities through special initiatives and projects.

For more information about Project Inclusion, or partnership inquiries, contact connect@projectinclusion.ph.