USAID Mitra Kunci Initiative Quarterly Progress Report April–June 2018 (Q3/FY18)

The initiative is implemented by DAI Global, LLC, under the YouthPower IDIQ Contract AID-OAA-I-15-00014. The project focuses on three main areas: improving the quality of workforce programs, implementing innovative workforce development models, and increasing ownership and synergies between key workforce development stakeholders. In the third quarter of 2018, Mitra Kunci focused on providing technical and financial training and mentoring to Project Implementers (PIs). This included providing technical assistance to PIs in the preparation and finalization of their deliverables, such as pilot work plans, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plans, and scale-up plans. All of the first drafts of these plans were submitted according to each respective PI's work plans and will be finalized in the next quarter. Mitra Kunci also supported several events involving participants from higher education institutions in the three provinces of West Java, Central Java, and East Java. The Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (MORHE) assisted in identifying 60 higher education institutions as potential Mitra Kunci partners for four key activities: community service, assistance to Career Development Centers, entrepreneurship curricula development, and entrepreneurship programs for BIDIKMISI scholarship student recipients. In support of Sub-IR 2.2.1, Quality of Workforce Programs Improved, Mitra Kunci increased the capacity and performance quality of PIs to ensure they achieved minimum professional standards for organizational management, finance, and accounting, procurement, and human resources capacity development. This included Grants Management and Finance & Operations Training, completion of EOE-SAKU Gender Assessments/Analysis, and coordination meetings with MESP and USAID/COR to help PIs finalize their Scale-up Plans. For Sub-IR 2.2.2, Innovation Workforce Development Models Implemented, Mitra Kunci sponsored Provincial Positive Youth Development (PYD) and community engagement workshops in Semarang and Bandung, as well as National and Provincial Workshops on Youth Engagement in Public-Private Partnerships. For Sub-IR 2.2.3, Ownership and Synergies Between Key Workforce Development Stakeholders Increased, Mitra Kunci intensified engagement with several potential private sector partners, including PT Mattel Indonesia, PT Gojek Indonesia, and H&M. Mitra Kunci also held a series of meetings with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to explore potential collaboration on workforce initiatives and the possibility of technical assistance from ILO to PIs. Mitra Kunci advanced progress with M&E activities, including providing assistance to PIs to prepare their MEL plans and sponsoring a national workshop on M&E and scaling up plans. The project also made progress in finalizing the Labor Market Assessment (LMA) reports for the three priority provinces of West Java, Central Java, and East Java, including Papua and West Papua. The project's geographic focus is on the three provinces of West Java, Central Java, and East Java, as well as Papua and West Papua. The project's timeframes are quarterly, with the third quarter of 2018 being the focus of this report. The project's recommendations include continued support for PIs to improve their capacity and performance quality, as well as increased engagement with private sector partners and the ILO to explore potential collaboration on workforce initiatives.