Call for Applications for UN Women WEPs Corporate Action Lab Philippines

Business Action for Gender-responsive and Inclusive Skills Development: Advancing Equitable Career Pathways for Women and Diverse Talent for the Green and Digital Transitions

The Philippines is undergoing a rapid green and digital “Twin Transition,” creating new opportunities for growth, innovation, and jobs. However, skills gaps are making it difficult for employers to fill emerging roles, while women, young people, LGBTQIA+ populations, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups continue to face structural barriers that limit access to skills development and quality employment.

Addressing these challenges is not only the right thing to do; it is good for business. Expanding access to skills development helps companies strengthen talent pipelines, improve retention and productivity, foster innovation, and build a workforce that is ready for the Twin Transition. This opportunity can be unlocked through grounding skills development initiatives in Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), which is a framework that promotes equal opportunities, participation, and outcomes for all individuals, regardless of background or identity. Creating more gender-responsive and GEDSI-informed pathways into technical and emerging occupations will help ensure the Philippines' twin transition is both inclusive and accelerated, unlocking the full potential of the country's talent and supporting sustainable economic growth.

To make this vision a reality, UN Women and GIZ, through the the Germany-ASEAN cooperation project for “Regional Cooperation on Labour Market Policy and Technical and Vocational Education and Training for a Twin Transition in ASEAN" (RECOTwin) are seeking a committed group of businesses ready to take action in our latest Philippines edition of our WEPs Corporate Action Lab!

What is a WEPs Corporate Action Lab?

The WEPs Corporate Action Lab (WEPsCAL) is a cohort-based initiative implemented over a period of 6-9 months supporting companies to develop innovative solutions and implement and track actions to promote gender equality with the support of experts and like-minded organizations. By defining the concept of a “Lab”, the WEPsCAL provides companies with the opportunity to pilot and experiment with new solutions tailored to their own unique needs and goals.

During each Corporate Action Lab, participating companies receive:

• Use of the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool (GAT) and WEPs resources
• Development of individual workplans with specific KPIs
• 1-on-1 innovation, problem-solving and technical support sessions
• Facilitated cohort interactions, learning exchanges and networking opportunities
• Connections to other solution providers, innovators, and experts to support your actions
• National, regional, and global recognition (for Lab completers)

What will this Lab focus on?

This Lab is seeking businesses ready to respond to the challenge statement: How can we design and implement skilling initiatives that advance equitable career pathways for women and diverse talent in the context of the green and digital Twin Transitions?  

The Lab will support a selected cohort of 8–12 companies over a six-month period with technical expertise, structured innovation sessions, and peer learning exchanges to achieve the following goals: 

• Analyze the business case: Help companies clearly understand the financial and operational return on investment of gender-responsive training models.  
• Mitigate learning bias: Identify and eliminate unconscious bias within company training plans, instructional materials, and delivery methods to ensure fair and inclusive treatment.
• Address systemic barriers: Remove the structural hurdles that restrict women and diverse learners from successfully completing technical training and advancing into non-traditional fields.
• Co-create and test solutions: Pilot actionable corporate solutions to evaluate what works for each company.
• Develop KPIs and track results: Establish clear performance indicators to monitor progress and sustain GEDSI-responsive training standards over time.  
• Facilitate policy scaling: Engage with public and private stakeholders across the Philippines and ASEAN to share best practices and scale up effective approaches. 

Application Process

The online application form is open until 21 August 2026. Apply now by completing the Application Form:

UN Women will get in touch with you via email after the review and selection process. Successful applicants will be notified by early September, and a public Launch event is tentatively scheduled for the 2^nd week of September 2026.

Want to know more?

➡️Join our last Information Session: 

⏰ 17 August 1PM-2PM GMT+7: Register here   
➡️ or Access a past Information Session:  Recording here | Slides here

🎯Read the full Challenge Brief. 
❓Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document to learn all about how the Lab works.
 

About UN Women and GIZ Collaboration

This Corporate Action Lab is part of a collaboration between the UN Women Gender Action Lab (GAL) and GIZ through the Germany-ASEAN cooperation project for “Regional Cooperation on Labour Market Policy and Technical and Vocational Education and Training for a Twin Transition in ASEAN (RECOTwin).” 

The Women’s Empowerment Principles Corporate Action Lab (WEPsCAL) is a flagship initiative of the UN Women Gender Action Lab (GAL): Innovation and Impact for Gender Equality in the Asia-Pacific, implemented in partnership with the Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

▶️ Read about the Gender Action Lab in the Introduction Brief.

▶️ Learn more about the Women’s Empowerment Principles at https://www.weps.org/.

For any questions, inquiries or clarifications, please email [ Click to reveal ].