Argumes Café Lab
School-based vocational training for high school studentsTelstra Foundation Philippines (CSR funder) Implementing partners:
Citrus National High School, training by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
Location:
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines
Project duration:
August 2018 – Ongoing (paused 2020–2022 due to COVID-19)
Sustainable Development Goals:
4, 8, 10
Background
Telstra Foundation Philippines (TFP) is the charitable arm of Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications and technology company. As part of its CSR strategy in the Philippines, TFP has supported innovative education and skills-based initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for disadvantaged youth and their families.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, TFP focuses on empowering youth, promoting digital inclusion, and supporting education and skills development initiatives. Recognising the barriers that many Filipino students face, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, Telstra sought to fund initiatives that would improve employability and open pathways to meaningful work. From this, the Cafe Lab concept was developed and implemented as an innovative, hands-on approach to vocational education and alignment with national certification standards. The partnership reflects Telstra’s broader commitment to inclusive growth, workforce readiness, and creating long-term social impact in the communities it serves.
The challenge
In the Philippines, youth from low-income communities face high dropout rates and low pass rates in the National Certificate II (NCII) exams, essential qualifications for employment in the food, hospitality, and business sectors. At Citrus National High School (CNHS) in Bulacan, many senior high school students lacked access to practical vocational training, making it difficult for them to obtain certification and secure skilled jobs upon graduation.
Our approach
Dana Asia, building on the success of its Café Lab pilot at North Pasay High School in collaboration with TFP, adapted the model for CNHS with funding from TELSTRA Philippines as part of their CSR strategy.
Together with school leaders and DepEd officials, Dana Asia established the Argumes Café Lab as a fully functional, school-based café that serves as a real-world training ground. Key activities included:
- Designing a modular, school-integrated training program for NC II certification
- Training faculty and students in café operations, financial management, marketing, and food preparation
- Supporting the café to generate income for students’ NC II assessment fees
- Embedding a social business mindset to ensure sustainability
Despite a two-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Café Lab was relaunched in 2023 following renovations and renewed training plans and continues to operate today.
Impact
137
students trained per year
40
total NCII certificate passers
80%
pass rate of NCII test
10
students with subsidized test fees paid for by cafe income
Lessons learnt
School-based enterprises can be powerful platforms to bridge education and employment, especially for students from low-income backgrounds. Linking practical experience to certification pathways gives young people a real chance to break the poverty cycle.
“The Citrus NHS Cafe Lab was cited by the District DepEd as best practice in the Educational Innovation Program in 2024. These recognise the collective efforts of the teachers and K12 students in continuous operation of Argumes Cafe despite limitations and challenges faced by the school community.”
– -Asher Quimson, Teacher-in-charge of Cafe Lab
