STATE OF THE FIELD IN YOUTH ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Annexes
2012 State of the Field in Youth Economic Opportunities
Chapter 1: Workforce Development
The Salvadoran National Internship Program, Joven
360 (www.joven360.com), was established in May of
2011 by CARANA Corporation—lead implementer
of the USAID/El Salvador Access to Employment
Program—in partnership with the ESEN University
(Escuela Superior de Economia y Negocios),
employment agency, Search, and employer partners
Citibank and others to address several challenges
in the Salvadoran labor market. First, graduates
have difficulty securing a first job due both to lack
of practical work experience and to the theoretical
orientation of El Salvador’s university curricula.
Second, Salvadoran employers typically hire for
experience, which graduates uniformly lack, rather
than for the skills and attributes they do possess.
Third, Salvadoran employers and students alike
lack familiarity with internships. Finally, systems for
connecting job seekers with employers are poorly
developed, so finding qualified employees is difficult
and costly (and inconsistent).
Joven 360 created a web-based internship matching
system in which students can register, upload
o
1.4.1.5 Noteworthy Results: Joven 360—El Salvador’s Technology-Enabled
Internship Platform
resumes, list their professional skills and personal
attributes (in addition to, or in lieu of, experience),
and post a polished 30 second video “elevator speech”
to present their differentiating skills and attributes. In
turn, registered partner employers can request interns
and select candidates with appropriate skills from
among student profiles screened by Joven 360 staff.
From May-December, 2011, 228 interns were placed
in 140 institutions (116 businesses, 23 NGOs, and
one government agency). Already, more than 3,000
students have registered/created professional profiles
and 30 employers (companies) and 14 universities
have signed on as partners. Partner businesses report
saving significant time and identifying more qualified,
motivated candidates through use of the system,
while students report that the practical learning
obtained through internships is invaluable. Partner
universities, in contrast, will be ranked by Search,
with input from the participating businesses, based
on the quality of their interns, introducing a valuable
feedback look into the education marketplace.
Focus on “career navigation skills”—especially labor market awareness, job
search capacity, and self-presentation—to connect young people to jobs
Several presenters highlighted the near complete lack of skills related to navigating the job market among
graduates of universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs. This includes
resume preparation, job interview skills, realistic expectations of work, and basic knowledge of the employment
opportunities available in local markets. These skills fall somewhere in between “workplace and work-readiness”
skills and basic “personal effectiveness” competencies. They are often deficient even among high academic
achievers.
Presenters including CARANA and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) focused on establishing active
labor market programs such as career counseling and guidance as one element of the equation in addressing
this deficiency. Education for Employment and ManpowerGroup highlighted one aspect of their partnership in
Morocco, the use of a specific ManpowerGroup proprietary training titled, “Finding a Job Is a Job,” a twentyhour
training course aimed at empowering students to more effectively assess their skills, prepare and present
their resumes, interview for jobs, and make a job search plan. The course focuses on the skills and discipline
needed to conduct an effective job search and action steps that will maximize a candidate’s job search prospects.
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