McDonald’s Philippines marks first batch of YouthWorks PH graduates with USAID

MANILA, Philippines — McDonald’s Philippines (Golden Arches Development Corp.), led by George Yang, founder and master franchise holder of the quick-service giant in the country, proudly celebrated the graduation of its first batch of youth trainees under the YouthWorks PH program.

YouthWorks PH is an initiative in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) that aims to improve life skills and increase employment prospects of underprivileged Filipino youth.

Held at McDonald’s Sucat San Antonio in Parañaque the graduation marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to youth development and employability in the country.

A total of 53 youth trainees have completed their month-long training program on food and beverage services, leadership, communication and critical thinking skills. They are now deployed across 35 McDonald’s stores in nine Metro Manila cities for their paid training. McDonald’s Philippines has committed to train up to 5,000 YouthWorks PH trainees by 2026.

“At McDonald’s, we believe that when people are given opportunities to grow, they will succeed. We are very thankful for programs like YouthWorks PH and partners like USAID and PBEd, who are equally committed in training and upskilling the Filipino youth. Through this partnership, we look forward to welcoming more new trainees in our restaurants nationwide, helping them to develop to become productive members of society and to be their Best Me,” McDonald’s Philippines president and CEO Kenneth Yang said.

McDonald’s Philippines managing director Margot Torres said that with more than 760 stores nationwide, McDonald’s Philippines employs over 60,000 individuals – with more than half consisting of regular part-time working students.

Established in 2019, the partnership between USAID and PBEd for YouthWorks PH is one of McDonald’s Philippines’ initiatives that aim to champion youth employability together with the Special Program for Employment of Students – a partnership with the DOLE, which offers students summer jobs to help finance their education while gaining work experience.