Performance evaluation of the 'Improving access to employment program in El Salvador'

To this end, US Government assistance to El Salvador recognizes this GOES-driven process and is supporting measures to overcome the pervasive barriers to increased investment and broad-based economic growth. Moreover, in timely consonance with national efforts to promote economic growth, the Partnership for Growth (PFG) Joint Country Action Plan (JCAP) 2011-2015 between El Salvador and the United States enables the Governments of El Salvador and the United States to jointly engage new efforts to ensure, among other things, that education of the labor force matches labor market demand. Consistent with a focus on workforce development that stems from valuable research conducted prior to the JCAP initiative, in December 2009 USAID awarded a contract to Carana Corporation to undertake the Improving Access to Employment Program in El Salvador (the program), contract EEM-I-00-07-00006-00, with a total funding of $7.4 million. The program, currently in its third year of implementation and scheduled to end in November 2013, focuses on improving the function of the Salvadoran labor market to make it capable of matching the supply of skilled workers with private sector demand for labor.Overall, Program outcomes relate to coverage and engagement of individual beneficiaries, including at-risk youth and people with disabilities, in an effort to increase access to employment. By mid-year 2012, the program had achieved a total of 4,886 new or improved jobs (4,629 new jobs, or 95% of the total, and 257 improved jobs, or 5%). Based on accruals from early 2010, Carana has already surpassed the original life of program (LOP) target of 4,480 by 9%. So far, 42% of persons benefiting from new or improved jobs are women, 21% are youths, and 3% are people with disabilities. (Excerpt, modified)