Bagosphere, a Bacolod-based social enterprise, won the top prize of Au$100,000 at Frontier Innovators, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s innovation Xchange.
BagoSphere provides short-term, career-focused training programs to bridge the skills gaps in communications, IT and soft skills and prepare disadvantaged youth for jobs in fast-growing industries across the Philippines.
It aims to skill, re-skill and upskill one million individuals by 2040.
BagoSphere was among the 15 top teams selected by Frontier Innovators from over 700 applications and over 52 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
The finalists work hard to provide a wide range of innovative and unique solutions that deliver impact and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goalsin areas such as health, agriculture, environment, education and finance, among others.
Frontier Innovators will support BagoSphere to scale its impact as it contributes to SDG #1: No Poverty and #4: Quality Education.
BagoSphere will receive grant funding, six months of tailored support, and access to relevant expert advisors, potential partners and investors.
To achieve their vision of creating a world where every youth can pursue what they love, earn a good living, and build a better future for the next generation, BagoSphere provides a student-centric job preparation program. This award winning program gives rural and urban talents access to micro-funded education in digital and soft skills, increasing their employability.
The team is dedicated to student success, with a commitment to share job opportunities six months post-graduation and through an alumni network that students can tap into for job and mentorship opportunities.
Bagosphere’s training program has proven effective, with an 80 job placement rate within one month from graduation, and graduates earning up to four times more than their unskilled counterparts.
Bagosphere’s partners include Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Kickstart (a Globe subsidiary), Panasiatic Solutions, Teleperformance, Transcom, Tzu Chi Foundation and Ateneo de Manila University.