Philippines: Personal Initiative Training for Filipino Migrants

Client: Yale University (Y-RISE)

Donor: Wellspring Philantrophic Fund

Duration: Since April 2026

Description of the Project:

In collaboration with the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE) and IPA Philippines, we are adapting our evidence-based Personal Initiative (PI) Training to support Filipino migrants preparing for employment in Japan. Rather than focusing on entrepreneurship, the intervention aims to strengthen participants’ proactive behavior, future-oriented thinking, and persistence in overcoming barriers throughout the migration process.

The project includes the development of a contextualized curriculum consisting of short weekly PI Training sessions during intensive language and vocational training, workshops during the job-matching phase, and follow-up materials for the transition to Japan. In addition to curriculum and material development, the project includes a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshop for local trainers and support for the implementation of the intervention.