Global non-profit Wadhwani Foundation is sharpening its employability skilling strategy in the Philippines by piloting a new ecosystem-led model in Mega Manila, while keeping its entrepreneurship programs running nationwide at zero cost to partners and beneficiaries.
The Mega Manila pilot — covering Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal — aims to better align skills training with actual hiring demand. The Foundation said the approach is designed to close long-standing gaps between training providers and employers by anchoring skilling programs within local labor markets.
Under the model, Wadhwani Foundation will work more closely with employers, training institutions, and ecosystem partners to ensure that learners are trained for roles that are actively in demand and placed into jobs within their own communities. The goal is to improve coordination across stakeholders and make employment outcomes more measurable.
“This is about strengthening the link between skills and jobs,” the Foundation said. “If people are trained locally for locally available roles, placement outcomes become more reliable and sustainable.”
A testbed for future expansion
The Mega Manila initiative will serve as a testing ground for the ecosystem-based approach. Lessons from the pilot will guide whether and how similar models can be rolled out in other regions of the country.
Rather than replacing existing programs, the localized pilot is positioned as a complement to Wadhwani Foundation’s national platform-based delivery model. All current partnerships and engagements in the Philippines remain fully operational.
Entrepreneurship programs remain nationwide
While skilling efforts are being localized in Mega Manila, the Foundation confirmed that its Ignite entrepreneurship program will continue to be offered nationwide without changes in scope or delivery.
Ignite supports students and aspiring entrepreneurs by helping them explore entrepreneurship as a career path and build early-stage business capabilities through hands-on learning and exposure to real-world business challenges.
“All entrepreneurship and skilling programs in the Philippines continue to be offered at zero cost,” the Foundation emphasized.
Focus on outcomes, not just access
Ajay Kela, CEO and Board Member of Wadhwani Foundation, said the dual approach — local pilots combined with national platforms — allows the organization to scale impact while remaining responsive to labor market realities.
“Our mission is to enable job creation and improve livelihoods at scale,” Kela said. “In the Philippines, we are piloting a more locally anchored skilling approach in Mega Manila to strengthen job outcomes, while continuing to support student entrepreneurship nationwide through Ignite. This allows us to learn quickly, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that programs translate into real opportunities for people—while remaining fully committed to zero-cost delivery.”
Wadhwani Foundation: Bridging aspiration and employment
By combining national reach with targeted regional experimentation, Wadhwani Foundation aims to create clearer pathways from skills to jobs and from entrepreneurial aspiration to viable enterprise — particularly for young people entering the workforce.
The Foundation said the long-term objective is to refine models that can be adapted to different regional contexts across the Philippines, based on what works in practice rather than theory.
