Bridges to Employment Project July 2018 Monthly Report

In July 2018, the project achieved several milestones in its efforts to increase stakeholder engagement and institutional strengthening. Key stakeholders were reached through the Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation Week, co-hosted by Puentes and Fundación Empresarial para la Acción Social (FUNDEMAS). The event brought together 817 representatives of companies, 379 representatives of civil society organizations, and 475 representatives of training centers and universities. Puentes staff met with 42 separate companies to discuss their hiring and training needs and built the capacity of staff from five grantee training centers on how to conduct private sector outreach. The project also raised awareness and built institutional capacity through visits to Nehemiah International University and the use of USAID's Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) tool to evaluate the existing capacity of Nehemiah International. Puentes staff conducted an assessment of the institutional capacity of Fundación Gloria de Kriete (FGK) using the Technical Vocational Education and Training Capacity Assessment Tool (TVET CAT). The evaluation identified the organization's strengths and weaknesses and will be shared with training center staff in August. Puentes also built the capacity of FUNDEPLAST by training eleven members of the teaching staff on the design and implementation of pre- and post-test assessments to measure student learning. The project works closely with the Instituto Nacional de la Juventud (INJUVE) to increase the number of training center staff certified as life skills instructors. Puentes and INJUVE held two training-of-trainers (ToT) workshops to teach grantee staff how to impart the life skills curriculum to build critical skills and competencies of vulnerable youth. The project also coordinated with the Ministry of Education on the Flexible Education Program, which aims to assist vulnerable youth in finishing their secondary education. A meeting between Puentes, MINED, and RFA#006 grantees resulted in agreements to conduct regular visits to monitor pedagogical practices, prioritize registering students into MINED's Sistema de Registro Académico e Institucional (SIRAI), and email a report of student attendance to MINED every Monday. The Bridges to Employment Project continues to make progress in its efforts to equip vulnerable youth with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. The project's focus on stakeholder engagement and institutional strengthening is critical to its success, and the achievements in July 2018 demonstrate the project's commitment to these goals. The project's efforts to increase stakeholder engagement have resulted in increased collaboration with private sector companies, civil society organizations, and training centers. The project's use of the OCA tool to evaluate the existing capacity of Nehemiah International demonstrates its commitment to building institutional capacity. The project's focus on life skills training is also critical to its success. The training-of-trainers workshops held by Puentes and INJUVE have increased the number of training center staff certified as life skills instructors, which will enable the project to reach more vulnerable youth with critical skills and competencies. Overall, the Bridges to Employment Project is making significant progress in its efforts to equip vulnerable youth with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. The project's focus on stakeholder engagement, institutional strengthening, and life skills training is critical to its success, and the achievements in July 2018 demonstrate the project's commitment to these goals.