Studies show that only one in every 100 students will get a job after graduation and seven out of 10 high school students want to start their own businesses. Thus, the program's aim is to introduce entrepreneurship at an early stage and make the concept available to all levels of society.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for young Filipinas today. Statistics indicate an increasing growth of women in small and medium enterprises. We want to improve the quality and thus increase the contribution of women to society," Jay Bernardo, the Manila-based foundation's founder, said.

Let's Go is a non-profit, non-stock organization that partners with the government, academe and the private sector to promote entrepreneurship and support entrepreneurs in the Philippines. The foundation engages in research, curriculum development, teacher training and production of teaching materials.

Aside from being a professor at the Asian Institute of Management, Bernardo is also chairman of JAD Group of Companies. He started JAD, which initially manufactured plastic sticks for cotton buds. The group is now a conglomerate of strategically aligned outsourcing businesses in manufacturing, logistics, distribution, research and development and human resource.

GE Money, the consumer financial services unit of General Electric Co., is a leading provider of credit services to consumers, retailers and auto dealers in 53 countries. The institution provides private label credit cards, personal loans, bank cards, auto loans and leases, mortgages, corporate travel and purchasing cards, debt consolidation and home equity loans, and credit insurance.

"We are excited about this opportunity to work with the foundation in reaching out to young Filipinas. We are committed to helping transform job seekers to job creators through entrepreneurial education. Let's Go identified an opportunity for us to bring an important education and community solution to a crucial issue in the Philippines," Ben Kua, chief executive of GE Money Bank Philippines, said.

In the first phase of the program, GE Money Bank and Let"s Go Foundation will conduct studies on women entrepreneurship to better understand the dynamics of the issues as they relate to the Philippines. The studies' results will be made available for teachers to develop their own entrepreneurship curriculum for schools and organizations. Teaching materials that offer tools and methods will also be provided.

A Web site containing news, events, research materials, links and networking opportunities will also be created.

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