A greenlight for the youth. (L-R) Justine Raagas, the Philippine Business Education Executive Director; Paulette Liu, Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. – School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership and Service President; Gisela Tiongson, Jollibee Group Foundation President; Ruth Angeles, Chief Human Resources Officer, Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines; Anabelle Gosioco, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Jollibee; Rhea Santos, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Chowking; and Mary Ann Lim, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Greenwich join the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding for the YouthWorks PH program last June 6.
MANILA, Philippines. 05 August 2024 – In an effort to increase opportunities for youth employment in the country, the Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), together with its social development arm Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF), has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a training program under its workforce development initiative, YouthWorks PH.
JGF’s President Gisela Tiongson and Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines’ Chief Human Resources Officer Ruth Angeles, together with the representatives from PBEd, USAID, and Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. – School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, and JFC business units, joined the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding for the YouthWorks PH program last June 6.
Training for their future. Through the YouthWorks PH project, those who are considered NEET can soon undergo free senior crew skills training that will equip them with the right competencies and experience to secure a job in the food and beverage sector.
The program is geared towards making education and training more responsive to the needs of the economy by working with the government, various industries, and the academe to provide opportunities to youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET).
“Youth unemployment is at 11.2%, even while we experience a high number of vacancies in different industries. But we want to change this by bringing all our strengths together. Our partnership for the YouthWorks PH program is anchored on our shared commitment with JFC to support underprivileged youth to gain access to relevant education and eventually have an opportunity to improve their lives with gainful employment,” said JGF President Gisela Tiongson.
A joyful training
Start of the journey. The classroom training for the pilot batch of the Jollibee Group Foundation and YouthWorks PH Program officially commenced on July 1 in Cebu. The trainees will have two months of classroom training before starting their supervised industry learning in select Jollibee, Chowking, and Greenwich stores.
Through the YouthWorks PH project, those who are considered NEET can soon undergo free senior crew skills training that will equip them with the right competencies and experience to secure a job in the food and beverage sector.
JFC will lead the program’s pilot batch, which will include 26 NEET youth in Cebu City. In addition to providing work-based training and pre-employment support to the participants in select Jollibee, Chowking, and Greenwich stores, JFC and JGF will also cover the participants’ training costs, training allowances, and accommodation.
“We are elated to see the pilot batch of 26 out-of-school youth in Cebu City jump-start this opportunity,” said Justine Raagas, PBEd Executive Director. “This project is a testament to what we can achieve when we break down silos and work together. When government, businesses, educators, and communities join forces, we can empower young people, unlock their potential, and build a brighter future for all.”
Sharing the joyful experience
JFC and JGF embarked on this initiative as part of its commitment to the community support focus area under its global sustainability agenda, Joy for Tomorrow.
The partnership came on the heels of the Company’s successful tie-up with various local governments to provide employment opportunities for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and with the Department of Labor and Employment under the latter’s Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES). All these programs have the common goal of expanding employment opportunities for all Filipinos
“In JFC, we Choose Joy, and part of a joyful experience is being able to create a positive influence on the lives of others,” said Angeles.
“We are looking forward to the successful pilot implementation of this initiative in JFC and hoping to replicate the initiative in other areas to be able to reach more youth,” she added.
Partners in full force. Representatives from the Jollibee Foods Corporation and Jollibee Group Foundation, together with the team from Philippine Business Education and the United States Agency for International Development, form a handshake chain after sealing the partnership for the YouthWorks PH project.
About Jollibee Group
Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,900 stores across 33 countries.
The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.
The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 92% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. The Company also established a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. Recently, the Jollibee Group signed agreements to own 10% ownership in Botrista, a leader in the beverage technology space. The Company also owns a 90% participating interest in Titan Dining Partners II Ltd to further grow Asia Pacific food service brands and/or bring strong global food service brands to Asia Pacific.
The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the Company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines’ Most Admired Company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia’s Fab 50 Companies and among the World’s Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The Company is also a three-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award and was recently cited in TIME’s List of the World’s Best Companies and Fortune’s Southeast Asia 500 List.
To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com
